The Best Spots Around the World to Experience Food (Without Eating It)

Hunting for the best restaurants while traveling is a given, but I also make a point to seek out little pockets of food-related art and culture when I'm exploring a new place. In fact, some of my favorite food experiences haven't involved eating at all: One of the most memorable lunches I've had was simply observing young Thai monks eat their midday meal, of which they shared several bites with a monastery cat. On your future travels, broaden your definition of food lover a bit, and seek out these food-related art and historical destinations.

Yes, this is a museum dedicated to French fries, Belgium's most glorious potato invention. The exhibit begins on the ground floor with Peru, the origin of the domesticated potato plant, and showcases the purples, reds, and other lesser known potato varieties, along with a collection of potato cutters. Further floors explain the French fry’s origin in Belgium and, happily, house a café for tastings. Frietmuseum Vlamingstraat 33 8000 Bruges, Belgium +32 50 34 01 50

Explore the pots, pans and adorable plastic-covered Marimekko print tablecloths of Julia Child’s Cambridge home kitchen, where she hosted her last three cooking shows. It’s not a replica—the Smithsonian actually deconstructed Julia’s entire kitchen when she moved to California in 2001 and shipped it to National Museum of American History. They took everything from potholders to countertops (which the 6-foot-tall chef had custom built at 2 inches higher than most) to preserve her beloved culinary legacy.

The ultimate feminist dinner party is on permanent display at the Brooklyn Museum. In the mid-70s, American artist Judy Chicago built an enormous table, 48 feet long on each side, to host a figurative dinner party. Instead of serving any food or having guests, she dedicated each of the 39 place settings to a powerful female figure in history, and set the table with beautiful ceramic dishes and embroidered tapestries. Although the plates themselves are unquestionably “feminine" (as in, they allude to female anatomy), the concept as a whole turns the traditionally marginalizing concepts of domesticity and food preparation into an empowering occasion. Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11238 (718) 638-5000

For those seeking the best in interior design and environmental typography, make a stop into Sunday’s Grocery, in Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town. Famed for their chicken yakitori joint Yardbird, located in Hong Kong’s Central district, Canadian duo Matt Abergel and Lindsay Jang opened this venture in the spring of 2014. But here, guests won’t be sitting down to chicken skewers and cocktails—or sitting at all. Sunday’s Grocery is a “curated convenience store,” selling sandwiches, high-end sake, Japanese whiskey, snacks, beer, and specialty packaged foods. The design—from the storefront to the sandwich-and-beer bento-box-style takeout—is beautifully modern and quirky. Sunday's Grocery 66-68 Catchick Street Kennedy Town, Hong Kong +852 2628 6001

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If you’re into food history, (that is, if you’re like me, and you find entire books on the global evolution of black pepper fascinating), make sure not to miss the 17th and 18th century Dutch still life paintings the next time you’re at the Louvre. From dead geese and game hens, to oranges newly imported from the New World, to half bodies of fleshy tuna, the edible evidence found in these still lifes is fascinating. The paintings are both beautiful and a bit haunting, and serve to document how Europeans ate during the 17th and 18th century. Musée du Louvre 75058 Paris, France +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17

Augsburg, a town northwest of Munich, was an important gold-and silver-smith hub of Central Europe up until the 1800s. This museum has a beautiful collection of dining sets, plates, drinking vessels, and servingware—all crafted out of pure silver by the Augsburg silversmith masters. My favorite pieces include gilded drinking cups, especially made for consuming German beer. Kunstsammlungen und Museen Augsburg Maximilianmuseum Fuggerplatz 1 (Philippine-Welser-Straße 24) D-86150 Augsburg +49 (0) 821 / 324 41 02

Everyone knows the legendary Poilâne bakery—probably the most famous traditional bakery in Paris. But what makes the Saint-Germain-des-Prés location in particular worth a visit is a peek into the back room. Hanging on the wall are paintings of bread done by dozens of artists, all allegedly in exchange for a Poilâne miche. They also have a black and white photograph of an art installation commissioned by Salvador Dali in 1971; Lionel Poilâne created an entire bedroom furniture set out of Poilâne bread for Dali, who was a long admirer of the baker’s bread sculptures. They actually still have a chandelier made out of bread hanging on the ceiling, as a tribute to Poilâne and Dali’s friendship. And yes, they replace it when it starts to fall apart. Poilâne 8 rue du Cherche-Midi Paris, France 75006 +33 (0) 1 45-48-42-59