Go visit a supermarket overseas
On my recent trip to Switzerland, I spent a fair amount of time wandering down the supermarket aisles to put together cheap meals. I enjoyed the experience of trying out Coop and Migros-branded supermarket chocolate and trying out Heidi milk. But I didn’t realise many other people were doing this. Apparently there are:
We might not all be able to afford a red Michelin-starred meal or a private food tour, but almost anyone can spend €10 filling a basket with local snacks, unusual drinks and ingredients they've never seen before. Unlike a museum or a guided tour, a supermarket doesn't hand us an experience. We put it together ourselves. — Dayna Camilleri-Clarke, BBC
And why not, I think the food of a place can give us a good sense of the place. And supermarket exploration doesn't have any drawbacks, not unless you're one of those annoying tourists in Japan crowding the poor Lawson convenience store.