Where to eat?

So I arrived in Groningen and I have found a nice place to sleep. The only thing I still really need is something to eat. I like to go to restaurants.

There is a difference between tourists and travelers. A tourist is someone who is reading all the travelguides to see what the highlights are in the city or country he is visiting. He wants to see all the famous buildings, and experience the typical things for a country (McCabe, 2005). Speaking about food: the Netherlands is famous for their pancakes. This is a typical Dutch meal. So when a tourist is hungry, he surely wants to visit 'het Pannenkoekenschip' in the centre of Groningen.
A traveler has a different look on tourism. He wants to do the same things as locals. A traveller is going off the beaten track. He just wants to experience what the country is like in the normal life of people. He will therefore eat at the same places as the locals do (McCabe, 2005). A place where locals like to go to in Groningen is 'Flinders café'. It is located near one of the canals. I've heard this is a wonderful place.

This is the pancakeship. They serve delicious pancakes!

So I had a dilemma, which place should I choose? Sometimes it is not easy to make a distinction between a tourist and a traveler. This is because a traveler also wants to see the very famous places in a country. A traveler does also want to see, for example, the pyramids in Egypt. He would miss an important part of the culture when he skips the pyramids. So when talking about food in Groningen, I want to eat where locals eat, but I also want to eat the typical Dutch food, 'pannenkoeken' (pancakes). It is a part of the food culture in the Netherlands. So, I've chosen to first eat at 'het pannenkoekenschip'. I went there yesterday. It is a beautiful ship, and the pancakes were delicious! Later this week I will eat at Flinders. So then I will have tried both. This seems to me the best option.

In my following posts I will tell you about the nice things I am doing here in Groningen. You will hear from me soon!

References:

McCabe, S. (2005). ‘Who is a tourist?’ A critical review. Tourist Studies, 5, 85-106.