WOODBURY — When thinking of traveling, many things may come to mind. Lounging by the beach, or visiting monuments or cities. No matter what may be your ideal vacation, a large part of travel has always been cuisine.
You might be thinking of pasta in Italy, or a bakery in France, but one country that might not cross your mind for having great food is Iceland.
And that is for a reason.
Icelandic food is mostly seafood, which for some may be appealing — all until you see the price next to it.
For example, take Harry’s Seafood and Grill Restaurant, a common place to go and eat for a mix of Icelandic foods and American cuisine. Harry’s starts out by charging around $10 for bread. Yes, that same bread that is most of the time free in the U.S.
Next step at Harry’s is when you go to order, you will find that the average price for a meal is close to $50, and it can climb up to $70 quick. These prices begin to add up, and for a family of four traveling to Iceland, spending $200 on only dinner, not even considering tax or tip, is less than ideal.
The reality is that it is not just one restaurant that has prices like this, but that is normal for all around the island.
You may be hesitant to pay $55-60 for a burger, but the reason they do this is not just because they feel like it, but it is mainly based on their climate.
Iceland is a beautiful island, but because of all its volcanoes, most of the island is covered in only a thin layer of green moss. This makes it extremely difficult to cultivate crops to use in their restaurants.
This minimal farmland for crops forces Iceland to rely on imports, which come with a price, making the food more and more outrageous. When asking anyone who has been to Iceland to describe the prices of food, they often agree.
“[It is] expensive, oh my gosh. … One dish per person costs about $70,” Thea Oleynikov, a freshman at Nonnewaug who has travelled to Iceland with her family, explains.
Not only are the prices high for food, but if you are looking in Europe for great food, Iceland is not the way to go. Outside of their city capital, Reykavjik, finding restaurants is difficult. Finding good restaurants is even harder. Oleynikov shared the same struggles.
“There is a lot more variety, but for their prices, I was expecting something better and something more. I was expecting better seafood considering Iceland is in the middle of the ocean, too,” she explains.
If you are looking for good food, you can find it in Icelandic bakeries, but if you want great food? I would stick to Italy.
This is the opinion of Fiona Scozzafava, a freshman reporter for the Chief Advocate.
