I love street food as much as the next traveler but nothing beats an invite for a home-cooked meal from a local. Sometimes the invite happens organically. Sometimes it is a friend of a friend of a friend. Sometimes, it is an introduction from your awesome opthamologist (not kidding).
Apparently, I’m not the only one looking for that cultural immersion. While researching an upcoming trip, I ran across the concept of meal sharing websites. Basically, hosts offer a specific home-cooked meal served in their home for a set price. Hosts are pre-vetted and guests are encouraged to post reviews.
Intrigued by the idea, I decided to try it out in my hometown first. I chose an enchilada and flan meal with a $12 chip-in fee on mealsharing and was not disappointed. Although the food was tasty, the real draw was the company. The crowd included an eclectic mix of locals and tourists, most of them well-traveled. Hosts specify whether they will serve the meal only or dine with guests. Our host dined with us and made sure the conversation kept flowing.
I wouldn’t hesitate to book a similar experience while on the road or perhaps even host a meal myself. It’s also worth trying if you just moved to a new city and are looking to meet people. A number of sites currently offer the service in varying locations worldwide.
Some of the more popular meal sharing sites include:
- mealsharing.com
- VizEat
- Traveling Spoon (Asia only)
- Feastly (U.S focused)
- BonAppetour
- EatWith
- cookapp
As with all sharing services such as Uber, there is the issue of regulation. Meal sharing has yet to attract enough attention to find itself in the crosshairs of regulators or the health department but it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the future.
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What an awesome idea! I haven’t heard of this before but would LOVE to check it out. As a primarily solo traveller it gets lonely sometimes at dinner…this could be fun!
Hey Matilda!
So glad you discovered social dining 😉 this is a great overview of how it works. Where were you traveling when you ate with a host from Meal Sharing? If you’re in DC, NYC or Brussels soon, we’d love to have you as our guest.
Best,
Emily
I was in Chicago- my hometown. Thought it was such a great idea that I didn’t want to wait until my next trip:) I would love to try it out again when I’m in any of those cities!
This is an excellent opportunity because it will give a much better idea of local customs and culture. There is also purpledinner.com who is a project of love for Geoff Taff, whom I interview last year. You will find it here: http://www.thinkingoftravel.com/dine-with-a-local-interview-purpledinner-com/
Once again: thanks for a great write-up!
Hello Matilda,
Great article! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed your mealsharing experience. I’d love to share about our local dining experiences in these cities: https://www.bonappetour.com/e/explore
Do check out our dining experiences if you and Patti happen to drop by in any of these places! If you need more information, we’re happy to answer at info@bonappetour.com
Cheers,
Lin
This is an absolute wonderful idea. I use this opportunity wherever I can. It’s a great way to mingle with locals. We have someone doing it close to where I live and sometimes I join her table instead of going to a restaurant. It’s also interesting for a local to meet with tourists 🙂
What a great idea – so simple, but clever and a great way to find out more about the real side of a place you visit on holiday.
What a brilliant idea, and not something I would think to research for myself!
Love this idea! I’m definitely going to try it!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing! I will try these out on my next trip!
Thanks! We appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing! I can not agree more! Sharing moments with local people is a fantastic way to bring back more than pictures… I am in a process of developing a Website with will facilitate these contacts between local people and travellers wishing to live a great authentic experience… The site is in development, but you can already have a “Teaser” of what it will look like (go2locals.com) Have a look and leave feedback! This will help me make it better
This is such a cool resource! I always wanted to sign up for a “dine with a local” experience but never knew where. Thanks for sharing! <3
WOw, awesome sites¡ I always make sure to have local experiences wherever I go and I had been looking for such an option so thank you for sharing.
The best way to taste the food and discover the soul of the place you are visiting is tasting the local food. These are great sites, Matilda!
Thanks Agness! I agree tasting the local food is a great way to learn about the country you are visiting.