Over a century ago, during his travels across the United States, British theatrical entrepreneur Richard D’Oyly Carte was captivated by the contemporary American hotels he frequented. This admiration led him to establish the United Kingdom's inaugural dedicated luxury hotel, the Savoy, in 1889. Like any premier hotel, it was imperative to have an exceptional food and beverage service. Thus, the American Bar was introduced. Intentionally created for American guests, it became a haunt for notable figures such as Ernest Hemingway and Marilyn Monroe over the years. Today, with the abundance of culinary accolades, guidebooks, and television programs, experiencing local gastronomy has become an integral, if not the primary, aspect of travel. However, akin to the patrons of the American Bar, seeking familiar comforts while abroad remains a common practice. There is a compelling rationale behind this.

“The Savoy marked the debut of a luxury hotel in London, tailored to appeal to sophisticated American tourists,” remarks Andrea Di Chiara, the bar manager of the now-iconic establishment. The venue, which continues to be London’s longest-operating cocktail bar and was crowned the world’s finest bar in 2017, embodies this philosophy. “The American Bar was an extension of that concept and continues to attract a global audience.” It comes as no surprise that establishments across the travel spectrum, from the most opulent to the most modest, are capitalizing on the nostalgia of those seeking familiar flavors. In the culinary tourism market, projected to exceed $1.1 trillion by 2024, a recent Future Market Insights report indicates that over 34% of surveyed tourists in 2022 chose destinations based on their favored cuisines. These figures are anticipated to escalate, with estimates reaching $5.6 trillion by 2034, reflecting a substantial compound annual growth rate of 17.1%.

This remarkable expansion may be favorable news for the hospitality industry, but it also suggests that individuals are increasingly likely to be scrutinized for food neophobia—the apprehension of sampling new dishes—or criticized for opting for something readily available in their home country. At a recent dinner in Hong Kong, one of my companions confessed that upon arriving in Paris, his sole desire was a piping hot bowl of noodle soup to soothe his “Asian stomach.” The idea was so perplexing that another diner could not complete his query. Yet, moments later, he conceded, “Perhaps I’d occasionally crave McDonald’s.” Such anecdotes are not uncommon, and many of us are reluctant to confess to them. Most of us have a friend who is teased for packing Diet Coke in their luggage or prefers Starbucks over a local café when traveling. My British colleague always carries Yorkshire teabags when traveling abroad. My mother, residing in Hong Kong, travels with a compact rice cooker and a bag of rice for emergencies. When I resided in London, I was so homesick for the taste of Hong Kong bubble waffles that I set up a market stall. Essentially, we are all in pursuit of the same thing—a taste of the familiar in a foreign land—and none of us should be ridiculed for it, according to industry experts and scientists who assert that the inclination to try or avoid unfamiliar local dishes is innately ingrained in us.

A 2019 collaborative study by US professors discovered that cultural familiarity, motivational factors, and personality traits have a more significant impact on tourists’ food choices than cost and convenience. “Travelers appear to be more influenced by comfort and safety,” says Angel Gonzalez, an associate professor at California State University, Monterey Bay, and co-author of the study. “Those who are more cautious or unacquainted with local cuisines tend to gravitate towards familiar foods.” Interestingly, Americans of Hispanic descent are more likely to experiment with local foods, which Gonzalez speculates may be attributed to a broader exposure to diverse culinary experiences, while cautioning that the research only provides a limited perspective on food behaviors. The study was based on interviews with 330 individuals in the US, all of whom were asked about their likelihood of trying local foods when traveling.

“While the findings are intriguing, a more extensive study would be necessary to gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the reasons behind travelers’ food choices abroad,” Gonzalez notes. In the absence of a more definitive explanation, Judson Brewer, a neuroscientist and behavioral professor at Brown University, encourages us to introspect. He tells CNN that there are two key processes our brains undergo when it comes to food choices. “Travel, or the potential for travel, is a balance between the thrill of uncovering new experiences and reverting to the familiar,” says Brewer, author of a book on eating behaviors titled “Hunger Habit.” “Do we sample a new cuisine or dine at the familiar fast-food chain conveniently located nearby?” In these scenarios, he explains that our orbitofrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making, endeavors to determine which option is more beneficial for survival. Known as the explore vs exploit dilemma, this instinct is deeply rooted in our evolutionary past as hunters and gatherers—when humans had to decide whether to seek out a new food source or forage what was immediately available before resources depleted.

In the context of travel, Brewer suggests that our planning brain might opt for familiar food to avert potential physical discomfort. “Our brains are averse to uncertainty, and travel (especially to unfamiliar places) can be intimidating,” says Brewer. These uncertainties can induce anxiety, triggering another brain process. “From childhood, we learn to link food with mood and emotion. We learn to associate food with comfort—hence the term ‘comfort food,’” Brewer explains. “The psychological solace provided by familiar foods is akin to the feeling of ‘home.’” Food has increasingly become a coping mechanism for our emotions, thanks to modern marketing strategies and pop culture. Recall the scene in the movie where a heartbroken Bridget Jones indulges in a tub of ice cream? When emotions surface, the planning segment of our brain disengages, and the survival component takes over. To alleviate the pain, it prompts us to seek solace in food—even when we are not hungry—releasing dopamine (a pleasurable hormone) as a reward and reinforcing the habit of choosing the familiar.

At an altitude of 3,454 meters (11,332 feet), Switzerland’s Jungfraujoch is the highest accessible train station in Europe. This snowy mountain destination is an excellent example of an attraction that has catered to the needs of homesick travelers. In the 1980s, when Jungfrau Railways observed an increase in Asian visitors, management began offering noodle soups at its mountaintop station. In 2023, it introduced King Noodle Bar, a restaurant specializing in Asian noodles that has since become a sensation. The company also highlights regional culinary cultures whenever possible. At Jungfraujoch’s Restaurant Bollywood, established in 2000 to accommodate the mountain’s Indian visitors, the menu includes rosti (a quintessential Swiss dish with pan-fried potatoes) with Swiss cheese, Zurich-style sliced chicken with mushroom sauce, and homemade Swiss chocolate desserts alongside traditional Indian dishes. “Our goal is to blend local cuisine with international influences to provide our guests with an authentic and diverse dining experience so they feel at home even when they are away,” says Kathrin Naegeli, Jungfrau’s head of corporate communications.

Gonzalez, the researcher, emphasizes the significance of blending familiar flavors with local foods. “This can help alleviate anxieties for cautious eaters while encouraging them to try something new,” he says. When the American Bar first opened in the late 1880s, international visitors may have had more justification for seeking its comforts. A guide to London produced by Langham Hotel in 1890 notably included sections for hospitals and docks but offered no restaurant recommendations. Today, the bar still serves many familiar tastes, but these are now intertwined with local offerings. Gerald Quadros, the Savoy’s executive chef, states that the American Bar’s menu “is inspired by staple dishes from the US, which we’ve refined using British ingredients to create a menu that is both familiar and surprising to our guests. “The perfect example of this is our sliders, which are crafted with organic Denbighshire beef, highlighting the connection between American and British food cultures,” he says. “The beauty of travel is that it fosters creativity as cultures merge and influence each other.”

In addition to uniting cultures, there is also a scientific rationale for why we should endeavor to sample more new foods. Brewer explains that habits require the least amount of energy expenditure because learning is energy-intensive and exploration demands cognitive power. “If individuals have a variety of foods they enjoy and are content consuming those foods, why would they waste time and energy trying something they might not enjoy?” Brewer questions. “Consider our bodies: If we are always seated, we are more likely to lose flexibility in our muscles and injure them. You can see how that is unhealthy, and it is the same for our minds.” The neuroscientist has developed techniques to assist his patients in overcoming unhealthy eating habits, such as practicing mindful curiosity, as detailed in his books and lectures. In essence, Brewer asserts that cultivating curiosity is crucial for cautious travelers to transform stress into an opportunity for growth. “Instead of getting trapped in the ‘oh no,’ curiosity can help us lean into the ‘oh, what is this?’ so we open up to experiences, food and otherwise,” he says. It has aided Brewer in managing his own anxiety over the years and has led to new, unexpected experiences while traveling. During a recent trip to Italy, his Italian postdoctoral fellow took him to a local family-run restaurant. “Their specialty that night was donkey,” says Brewer, a vegan who has abstained from meat for over two decades. “I thought, ‘I’d probably never eat donkey again in my life so let’s try it.’ I was genuinely curious. And the donkey was delicious.” Although the donkey did not persuade Brewer to resume consuming meat, it exemplifies the mental stretch he advocates. “Life is perpetually changing. If we become too rigid, it makes it much more difficult to cope with change,” he says. “Embracing curiosity and exploration helps us maintain mental flexibility. So when change occurs, we are more likely to accept it and adapt to it.”