Love Street Food & Market Food When Travelling

Love Street And Market Food When Travelling

We love food, especially ethnic multicultural food here at Unity Power Force. Whenever I’m travelling, I always try to find local street food stalls and I would include market food vendors as well. I always find that street food is a fun way to take in local culture rather than sitting in more touristy and expensive sit down restaurants. It’s the same with markets where many food vendors can be found and the bonus with these venues is the additional shopping opportunities with other vendors selling all sorts of merchandise.

I always try to find where street and market food are especially where they are common like in many countries in both Asia and Latin America. Cusco Peru was an example of where I found great market food. Both street food and market food areas are where many locals go and that’s when we know the food there are good, ie., always follow the locals to get the best and cheapest local cuisine!

Now a big concern for many tourists especially those coming from western countries who are not use to street food is the safety aspect. They are afraid of unhygienic conditions leading to possible food poisoning. While this is a valid concern, I always make sure I buy street and market food from vendors who cook with high heat on the spot. I don’t buy food that has been sitting there unless it’s unpeeled fruit. This is especially the case with any dishes that contain meats as I want them fully cooked just before serving.

My visit to Ben Trahn market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was a prime example where I experienced amazing local Vietnamese food at cheap prices. My stay in Thailand was similar too as I also found good street food opportunities. In fact, many areas in Thailand as well as other countries in Asia have perfected the concept of street and market food by establishing permanent venues where there are numerous food vendors both indoors and outdoors. In some areas in Asia, eating out on the street can be cheaper than cooking at home which is a reason why it’s so popular with locals. Most outdoor establishments are under roof shelters but are otherwise open air venues. Here’s a short video of such an open air location that is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike especially at night.

Sometimes you can even find the odd street food vendor on their own and in one case, I came across this lady who was cooking right in front of her house most days (top photo above). I ate breakfast there twice for about $2 Cad each time and the food was great.

The street food concept has kind of entered North America including Canada with food trucks but these are mobile rather than popular permanent venues like in Asia except for big indoor markets and sometimes at summer festivals. Of course seasonal weather differences are factors for these differences.