Tasting the local cuisine is usually a holiday highlight for travelers.
Unfortunately – especially if you’re trying to order in a foreign language – there’s always the possibility that things will go a bit pear-shaped on the dining side. As Reddit users revealed.
They served up their worst ordering mistakes while on vacation after “H20h20everywhere” asked, “What were some of your ordering mistakes while eating abroad?”
From pickled chicken feet to a sausage made from pig intestines, travelers have revealed the meals they will always remember. But not for the right reasons.
Germany
Reddit users share their worst ordering mistakes abroad: They received pickled chicken legs and even a sausage made from innards (stock image)
Many of the food misadventures revealed in the thread took place in Germany.
‘Pjashawaii’ writes: ‘My wife and a friend traveled to Berlin and, as budget-conscious tourists do, looked for the cheaper things on the menu. She ordered “kalbshirn” – and when the plate came there was a huge mountain of food. Translation – calf brain.”
‘Flowering fungus’ ordered ‘meersfruchte’ and thought it was fruit. But a giant tray of seafood arrived: fruit from the sea.
And ‘Prustage’ remembers an employee mistaking small print for a dish.
He notes: ‘He glanced over the menu, pointed to a text at the bottom of the page and then proudly announced that he wanted to order the ‘Mehrwertsteuer’, which he thought seemed quite reasonable at just €17 (£14.36 ). ). Mehrwertsteuer is German for VAT, which was 17 percent at the time.’
Thailand
A disappointed traveler accidentally bought seaweed-flavored Pringles in Thailand, thinking they were sour cream and onion
Thailand was the scene of a number of menu surprises.
‘CraftFamiliar5243’ writes: ‘We were in a bar in Thailand with an American cover band. The menu had photos, loosely translated into English. We ordered “chicken tendons”, which we thought were mistranslated chicken tenders. They were fried chicken tendons.”
Fried chicken tendons – not tender – are a popular street food snack in Thailand.
‘Mlibed’ meanwhile discovered that green cans of Pringles in Thailand indicate a more exotic taste.
They write: ‘Backpacking through Thailand and stopped at a snack stand. Saw a green can of Pringles and thought “oh sour cream and onion”. I was ready for a taste of home. They were seaweed Pringles.”
USA
In the US, ‘Ganesha811’ says they offended their in-laws with their ‘crazy’ order, explaining: ‘I went to a bagel shop in New Jersey with my Jerseysite friend and her family. I ordered a bagel with pork roll and cream cheese – not far out of line I thought. And they almost refused to give it to me. My girlfriend’s family said it was a crazy order. I still don’t really understand why.’
User ‘fraxbo’ explains: ‘In the northeastern US, cream cheese is served plain on a bagel, with smoked salmon, or possibly with some vegetables/herbs. It is never served with any meat.”
Hong-Kong
One customer was surprised when their jar of kimchi turned out to be pickled chicken feet (stock photo)
A purchase at a traditional restaurant in Hong Kong left one customer shocked.
‘Briennethebeauty10’ says: ‘In Hong Kong we ate at a traditional cha chaan teng (dinner). Homemade items can be purchased at the counter. There was a plastic container for their homemade kimchi. When I got home to my surprise, it wasn’t Kimchi. They were chilled, spicy, pickled chicken feet.”
France
Andouillette sausage (photo above, stock image) is made from pig intestines and is not the same as andouille, a smoked sausage that is a Cajun specialty
In France, a specific delivery nightmare left several travelers haunted.
‘Zrgardne’ writes: ‘Andouille is a delicious, garlicky smoked sausage common in Louisiana. Andouillette is a sausage in France [pig] intestines stuffed into intestines. And how wonderful it sounds.’
‘Quesabirria’ also tried it and remembered: ‘It was terrible. I tried mustard, still terrible. I tried to force myself to eat it. I did what I could. The taste stuck with me for several days and ruined all my meals before then.’
South Korea
A mistake at a South Korean supermarket left one person with enough alcohol to kill a horse.
‘Therebbie’ says: ‘In Korea, a friend [spied] a large bottle of water. It was six liters. He didn’t speak Korean, but pointed and bought it. It wasn’t until we opened it that we realized it was Soju.’
Soju is an alcoholic drink with an alcohol content of up to 53 percent.
Japan
One Redditor visited Japan and ordered what they thought was fish sashimi. It turned out to be raw chicken (above, stock image)
A photo on a menu enticed a tourist in Japan to order a controversial delicacy.
‘Sahmizad’ says: ‘Was in Tokyo, in a restaurant with only a Japanese menu. I saw an item that looked like fish and ordered it thinking it was fish sashimi on rice. Raw chicken slices arrived on rice. It turns out to be a store that specializes in that.’
Known as ‘torisashi’, it is a Japanese delicacy made from raw, bite-sized pieces of chicken.
Peru
Guinea pig is a major delicacy in Ecuador and Peru, as some intrepid Redditors discovered
User ’35mmistoobig’ recalls a trip to Peru and eating what many would consider an adorable pet.
They say: ‘I ate a guinea pig in Cusco. I thought it was just going to be meat, but no, that thing still had the head on it.”
‘Butterpale’ answers: ‘Guinea pig. Important delicacy in Ecuador and Peru. We ordered one as a reward for skiing the Cotopaxi in Ecuador [volcano]. I came so close to swinging. Still had residual hair. Eyeballs and teeth.”
