Tasha Dhanraj decides to be more adventurous

About six years ago, while driving through the wet and cold streets of the French town of Dijon, my family and I stumbled upon a restaurant that cooked only mussels and chips. The front of the restaurant was a glass window with a big cartoon of a smiling plate of food.

“To this day, I’m like Pavlov’s dog every time I see a picture of happy shellfish.”

I’m sure that in reality it was a very average meal, but in my memory it was the nicest food I’d ever eaten. And that’s how, six years later, my mum, my dad and I were dragging three of my cousins and my boyfriend through the streets of Dijon in an attempt to find it.

It was dark, noisy and bared little resemblance to the town my 13-year-old self remembers. One hour and several declarations of “It’s just down here, I swear. I really remember it was just round this corner. I promise you” later, we gave up and went to another restaurant and had a fantastic meal – far better than the mussels and chips place.

Our search for the first restaurant was a typical example of human nature. The first time we’d been somewhere, we found a restaurant with such an unadventurous menu that we knew we were safe. The second time we went there, we automatically tried to go for the familiar option as opposed to trying something new.

Even when going to completely new locations, people always feel the need to pour over online reviews and tour guides so that wherever we choose to eat or stay gives us as few surprises as possible and
we always know exactly what to expect.

Worse than that, are those moments of utter weakness when in an unfamiliar place that people opt for the heavily branded and instantly recognisable global chains. I recall a foolish 11-year-old girl, who was also called Tasha Dhanraj, once forced her whole family to buy a KFC bargain bucket for lunch while on holiday in St Petersburg.

It’s quite a brave thing to book a trip to a place you’ve never been to, but it’s not enough. When the world is so incredible and life is so short, there’s no point in sticking to what you know. That’s why I have decided to kick-start a mid-year’s resolution – to make the effort and try the unknown wherever I go and no longer allow myself to be boring, even if it is safer.