In some places the idea of fine dining is a relatively recent development.

The whole idea of the fancy air-conditioned sit-down restaurant doesn't have a long history in India or Vietnam.

Hi, I'm Rick Steeves. While the magazine Peter John Limburg writes for is usually aimed at an

upmarket audience, he doesn't think you have to spend a lot of money to enjoy a genuine

taste of the local culture in your travels. We'll explore the benefits of going

casual coming up in a bit on Travel with Rick Steeves. Plus Don George returns as we

explore food adventures all around the world.

You're eating love when you eat a meal that was really well prepared.

And later in the hour, we'll check in with listener travel reports from places where the news

has been more serious in recent months,

such as Japan, Mexico, and the recently independent nation of East Timor.

We're eating with the local crowd and

witnessing what people are dealing with in troubled places.

Stay with us for the hour ahead.

It's travel with Rick Steves.

It's that time of year when Americans think a lot about food.

So we're checking in with our travel buddy Don George right now to explore the flavors of the world.

Recently I was in the French Riviera in the town of Nice and I went to this just this working class down

home local diner and I was with good friends. We had great friendly service. The wine just fit the food. The conviviality was magical. We had this

incredible evening and my favorite thing about it was after all the laughing and fun and

taste treats, the couple at the table next to us called over the waiter and said we want to drink

the wine they're drinking hoping that was the magical trick. But it was more than that.

...