Eat with a Local

One of the more interesting foodie concepts I have come across lately is eat with a local.  This is a site that matches up travelers with local foodies.  They meet either at a home or a restaurant and have a meal together.  So if you were going to, say Paris, the site would pair you up with a local Parisian.  They may invite you to their home for a home cooked meal, or they may select a local restaurant for the event.  

Conversely, you can choose to be a host to someone traveling to your area.  The site encourages you to provide as much detail about yourself as possible.  This makes it more likely that the people you host will be compatible with you.  You can use the search field to look for hosts in a country you'd like to visit, and then refine your search by cities or towns. You can also click on 'Find a Local' and then 'Advanced Search' to search for members with particular choices in their profile information.

You  provide feedback to someone by posting on their wall.  You can look at the profile of anyone who asks you if they can visit. That way you are able to see immediately if they're entering into the spirit and playing host themselves or not.  They even give you tips to make your visit and hosting experience more enjoyable. For example:

• A visit should not exceed two and a half hours, unless the host insists on extending this time.
• It is recommened you exchange emails beforehand to make the meet up more comfortable.
• Enjoy the experience and relax.  You will be surprised how much you will have in common with your host.
• Take along pictures of the area you live in, as your host will be curious to see your country and this will provide a good conversation starter.

There are more tips, but since the site is hosted in the UK, they seem more specific to the UK.  Will you be brave enough to Eat With a Local?