For many women, eating dinner alone in a foreign country can be an unpleasant experience - if you don't know where to go. A frequent, female business traveler around Asia makes some recommendations.

By Julie McCormack

I always remember meals as one of the more stressful aspects of business travel. Probably because I usually traveled alone and therefore usually ended up eating dinner alone (after my local colleagues went home). As a Western female in Asia, this was not always the easiest of experiences. In certain cities, like Jakarta, I never even considered leaving the hotel by myself. This wasn't because I was concerned about my safety (after all I'd lived in Jakarta for a few months and was quite familiar with it), rather that I knew I would feel awkward anywhere else. In Sao Paulo, on the other hand, I'd heard so many horror stories about how unsafe it was, that I felt going out was not an option. And the restaurants in my hotel were so formal that I ended up ordering room service night after night. I felt horribly guilty, but just didn't feel like enduring a long, formal meal in a nice restaurant solo. Although I really love food, after repeated business trips, I decided that I was willing to forgo the best restaurants in a city in favor of those where dining solo was not a nerve-wracking experience.

Luckily, in Asian cities like Hong Kong, Taipei and even Kuala Lumpur, finding appropriate places to eat is not difficult and eating in Asia is part of the cultural experience. What we know now as modern food courts were probably invented in Asia. Singapore has its famous hawkers markets, conveniently located throughout the city, where you wander around the stalls, pick the food that looks the tastiest, point to it, order it and dig in. The variety in these markets is part of the fun. In Singapore and in most Malaysian cities, you can find Halal (or Muslim kosher) stalls, vegetarian, special soup stalls and special dumpling stalls. And in KL's Chinatown, there is a night market up and down Jalan Petaling. Nearby, all the street corners house noodle shops and other informal eateries. Most of the Central District in Hong Kong has been converted into malls, but the Pacific Place food court has a surprising selection of Asian and Western food. Proprietors generally speak English and the food is good as well as cheap.

For the faint of heart, western food is almost always available. In Hong Kong, the mall at Pacific Place is a comfortable option. Grappa's, a bustling Italian restaurant comfortably serves solo diners in their bar area. Many large office buildings are close by and professionals often stop by with their Asian Wall Street Journals for some pasta and a glass of wine at the end of the day. Dan Ryan's, a Chicago-style restaurant is a great place for getting an American burger and watching a football game. The bar here, too, is spacious and unintimidating. Japanese sushi bars are designed for the solo traveler, and while on the pricey side, there are a number in Pacific Place in Hong Kong. You don't need to order sushi to sit there.

For instant calorie intake, Hong Kong also offers Mrs. Fields cookies, in strategic locations: one is temptingly placed inside the Star Ferry Terminal. Another can be found above the Admiralty in Queensway. I admit to having succumbed when in Kuala Lumpur to Famous Amos cookies, located on the second floor of the Central Market.

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Julie McCormack is the Managing Director of Worldwide Escapes .

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