There’s a fried herring cart in Stockholm called (aptly) Nystekt
Strömming.
It’s apparently a favorite among locals for a quick snack, and
with good reason: it was easily the most delicious 60 SEK I spent in the city. Continuing
my strategy of making gastronomical decisions based in part on what I could
pronounce, I had the “Special,” which was fried herring with
potatoes and a bit of salad. It was amazing fast food, in the literal sense of “fast
food”—no line, my food was served just a minute or so after I ordered it, and
was devoured just a few more minutes after that.
Across the street, literally less than a minute’s walk away,
is this McDonald’s.
You can’t tell from the picture, but (1) the line to the
register stretched to nearly the door in what was a fairly large McDonald’s;
and (2) this was after the lunch rush
had died down.1 In my (admittedly limited) experience, this isn’t
uncommon in big, European cities: tourists love
McDonald’s, and around lunch or dinner time, it’ll probably be among the
busiest places to eat.
You know what else isn’t uncommon? People—usually other tourists—looking
down on tourists eating at McDonald’s. And I kind of hate that.
In fact, I kind of hate that because I used to say and think
that. There’d be a line out the door at a McDonald’s in Rome, and I’d scoff to
anyone who’d listen, “Ugh, don’t they know they’re in Italy? Why would you want a greasy Big Mac when you can get authentic Italian food?”
I, of course, wasn’t asking the question sincerely, so I
didn’t take the minute or so to consider the multitude of completely legitimate
scenarios in which travelers can simultaneously be aware of what country they are in
and still want to eat at McDonald’s:
- Maybe they’re on a budget, and they can’t really afford most of the local cuisine
- Maybe they tried the local cuisine, and they didn’t like it
- Maybe they tried the local cuisine, and the portions were smaller than they expected, so they’re still hungry
- Maybe traveling is completely new to them and having to adjust to an unfamiliar city, language, culture, transit system, and monetary system is a little overwhelming, so having something uncomplicated to eat that they don’t have to think about is comforting
- Maybe they’re feeling a little homesick, and they just want something that reminds them of home at the moment
- Or maybe they just really like Big Macs, and I need to get off their dick about it, geez
What’s gross about McDonald’s condescension is that it
presupposes that there’s a right and wrong way to travel, and it takes a lot of
gall to tell someone that they’re doing something as personal and individual as
travel incorrectly.
People, after all, travel for all manner of different
reasons—to meet new people; to get away from people; to relax; to challenge
themselves; and so on. And some travel without even having a reason, or travel
in search of one.
And yes, it may be worth remembering that if you’re in a
foreign country and all you want to do is lounge poolside at the hotel and
order Pizza Hut that you may consider trying something that you couldn’t do at
home (airfare’s kind of expensive, after all, and there are plenty of pools and
Stuffed Crust Pizzas waiting for you once you get back). But I wouldn’t dare
tell anyone that they’re traveling wrong or wasting their travel, especially
when I don’t know anything about them besides what I’ve deemed as incorrect
travel choices.
The reality is, no matter what you do, someone will think
you’re doing it wrong: You’re taking too few pictures (“When are you ever going
to be here again?!”) or too many pictures (“Put down the camera and just be in
the moment!”). You’re missing all the big sites, or you’re going to too many
touristy things. You’re not meeting enough people, or you’re not connecting with
yourself. You’re trying to do too much, or you’re not doing enough.
The best decision any traveler can make is to just let all
of that go. Ultimately, you can either stress over the idea that nothing you do
is right, or you can take comfort in knowing that nothing you do is wrong. And
as long as you’re kind and polite and respectful, you’re free to just do you—or,
if that isn’t working out, do something else and try that.
People have their reasons for why they do things, including
why they do what they do when they travel. And for the most part, we don’t know
what those reasons are. That means our default posture shouldn’t be one of
disdain or judgment but of encouragement and understanding—or, at least, cheerful
indifference.
Or, more simply: no matter how delicious that herring is,
maybe they just really like Big Macs. And that’s okay.
1In case you were wondering, I was in that
McDonald’s to use the restroom. I try to be a good traveler and respect the
mores of the places I visit, but there’s one place my Ugly Americanism rears
its ugly American head—I really don’t like paying to use a public restroom2.
The idea here was to use the restroom at McDonald’s by waiting by the restroom
for someone to exit, then pretending to fall in line for a few moments, and
finally leaving with an annoyed look as if I was planning on buying something but the line was just too long. In
a karmatic twist, by the time I put my plan into action, I legitimately did
want a 10 SEK McDonald’s ice cream cone, so after I used the restroom, I really
did fall in line in earnest and really did leave annoyed once it became clear
that getting an ice cream cone would take ten to fifteen minutes.
2Some of the small kindnesses I encountered in
Europe that are most resonant to me involve people helping me not have to pay
for using the restroom: a guy holding open the pay toilet gate for me so I can
sneak in, a barista being all, “Oh no, go right in” when I asked if I had to
make a purchase to use the restroom, and so on. People are pretty great
sometimes.
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