The month of September will be dedicated to features centred on food and drink. When we travel, one of the things that brings us the most delight is the opportunity to indulge in new experiences, such as sampling a local specialty drink, dining at a renowned establishment, or purchasing wine from a lesser-known location. Now, in order to celebrate the flavours that educate us about the world, we have compiled a collection of mouthwatering features, such as a discussion with the Hollywood taco impresario Danny Trejo, the top tips that chefs have for eating well while travelling, information on how to pick an ethical food tour, the wonders of ancient indigenous cooking traditions, and more.

Chefs are among the few people who are the best at locating and consuming delicious food when travelling. When you enter the kitchen of any restaurant, the hardworking cooks there will tell you stories about eating fish doused in leche de tigre in Peru, consuming spicy curries from street carts in Bangkok, or breaking open fresh oysters off the coast of Brittany. How exactly do they accomplish such a feat? After asking more than 40 chefs and other culinary professionals about their best advice for eating properly while travelling, the following are the six hacks that emerged as the most popular responses.

"Just Penang it."
These are the sage words of Jonathon Sawyer, winner of the James Beard Award, whose Adorn Bar & Restaurant debuted in late April at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. Sawyer always brings along a bottle of Penang N.31, a potent spice mix developed by master spice blender Lior Le Sercarz and consisting of chilli, onion, turmeric, garlic, and other ingredients. When the family is on the road, Penang N.31 is an essential ingredient.

According to what he told TripSavvy, "packing a hidden weapon can be crucial for the sake of flavour," because there are times when the eating decisions you make with the family aren't necessarily the dining alternatives you desire for yourself. "Penang and salt on your eggs that have been hard-boiled? Win. Hotel chop salad is average? Add Penang. Is curry not OK to eat? Just Penang it. Oysters served raw? Thank you very much, Penang." (Sawyer mentioned that it also tastes great on instant ramen and that it is his restaurant's particular secret to making fantastic fried chicken.)

Accept and Enjoy Your Supper Scraps
Tyler Akin, chef-partner of Wilmington, Delaware's Hotel Du Pont's restaurant, Le Cavalier, and chef-owner of Philadelphia's Stock restaurants, will have you looking at leftovers in a new light. It's easy to skip the doggie bag when you're on the road, but Akin will have you rethinking your approach to leftovers. "On your first day of trip, go to the best local bakery and pick up a half-dozen rolls," he said to the person who was travelling with him. "Restaurant portions are always substantial, so I prefer to bring leftovers back to the hotel and transform them into sandwiches the next day or pack one for a better supper at the airport," said the traveller. "It's a good way to save money." (Here's a helpful hint: add some little potato chip bars for an extra satisfying crunch.)

A Taste-Test of Salads for You to Try
It is never a terrible idea to begin a meal with a bowl of lush greens for the obvious nutritional reasons, but for chef Sara Hauman, who was a contender on season 18 of "Top Chef," it is a dependable litmus test as to the quality of a restaurant. According to Hauman, if the salad has greens that are not browning, veggies that are crisp and fresh, and a dressing that is flavorful and homemade, then you can almost always bank on the rest of the food being just as fresh and excellent.

Steer clear of the adjectives.
These days, restaurant menus have essentially evolved into figurative dictionaries of gastronomic buzzwords; farm-raised, hand-harvested, all-natural, and fresh are just a few examples of the most popular offenders. And despite the fact that these may appear to be desirable attributes, shouldn't they be present in everything that we consume? Chef Harley Peet, senior chef at Bluepoint Hospitality and its fine dining flagship restaurant, Bas Rouge in Easton, Maryland, remarked, "I regard these terms as red lights." Bas Rouge is known for its French cuisine. Peet, who enjoys fishing a lot, provided the following explanation: "it's like, drawing my attention that these elements are as specified and makes me second think it, in a weird kind of way."

Cooking & Eating Well on the Road: 6 Chefs Share Their Top Tipshttps://t.co/pK2oklUyhn pic.twitter.com/y8ueoc079i

— TripSavvy (@TripSavvy) September 16, 2021

Participate in a Half Marathon of Cooking.
Ian Rynecki, the head chef at Virginia's Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard, puts his vacation time to a more productive use than lacing up his running shoes and hitting the pavement. Instead, he competes in a different type of marathon. When Rynecki is travelling with a companion, he takes the time to create a walking route of 13 different spots to eat ("The calorie burn is vital," he adds). Rynecki suggested to TripSavvy users that they "go with a friend, sit at the bar, and share one item with them." "Continue your journey by walking to the next location. You are in for a dining adventure that will live long in the memory." Remember to take some notes or images to look back on in the future.
The Concept of Local Food Is Regional, Not National
The best-kept secret of the world's best chefs? The best chefs are aware that there is not just a national cuisine but also a regional one. Luke Charny, founder of A Chef's Tour, a company that designs and runs street food tours in Asia and Latin America, explained that it is unlikely that you will find a good khao soi—a northern Thai curry—in Bangkok, for example. While eating Thai food in Thailand may seem like a no-brainer, it is unlikely that you will find a good khao soi in Bangkok. He continued by saying, "Pav bhaji is amazing in Mumbai, but it won't be nearly as good in Kolkata." Before you get on the road, Charny suggests brushing up on a couple of the regional delicacies that are popular in the area you plan to explore.