We’re dining in Whistler because mom and dad say so
When I was a kid, my family took two vacations every year: one in the summer and one in the winter. Usually, our winter vacations were almost always to a favorite ski resort, like Whistler Blackcomb in Whistler BC Canada. And we always stayed at Whistler hotels rather than a vacation rental or other available Whistler accommodation. My parents believed that since our family of four was going to be enjoying the snow on the mountains all day every day, no one was going to want to worry about cooking anything for anybody. And since my parents did the bulk of the cooking and cleaning at home, they wanted a week off to relax too. So we stayed in Whistler hotels and did lots of dining out.
Even back then the restaurants had amazing food. My parents taught me that no matter where a person travels, eating the local foods offered at the restaurants recommended by the residents of the community was one of the best ways to learn about and understand a culture. My brother and I used to argue that we waned to eat at the restaurants we knew and loved: those typical fast food chain restaurants that float on every corner in our hometown. But our parents insisted on taking us to try something new and often exotic.
Now that I’m all grown up with a family of my own, I treasure even more the memories of those winter trips to Whistler Mountain when I was young and had little to care about in the world. Earlier this week when my husband and I watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode about Vancouver, Canada, I was pleasantly reminded of all the restaurant hopping I did as a kid. And I started imaging where we’ll go and what we’ll do when my own children get older and we can start taking annual our Whistler ski vacation. Just like my parents did, I’m certain my husband and I will laugh at our children when they curl their lips in disgust at our insistence that we eat at local restaurants.
My parents were right, you get the best food and learn a little bit more about different cultures and areas of the world when you eat at the local favorite restaurants recommended by the residents of a community.
