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Calling all lovers of food: Shilin Night Market is the largest of many night markets in Taipei. It is easily accessible by MRT and has endless stalls of restaurants/stands as well as shops. Bring a friend so you can share and experience more of the many dishes that this great market has to offer. If you do take the MRT, make sure you get to the platform before 12am because the trains stop running after that. If you stay past 12am, you will need to catch a cab to get back to your hotel.

I first visited Wahoo’s Fish Taco in Denver and have been going back ever since. It seems much more appropriate that Wahoo’s, with its surfboarding theme, has a location in Hawaii. The location I frequented is in Ala Moana. Time permitting, I would get my food to go and sit at the Ala Moana Beach park for a picnic dinner. Wahoo’s has a good selection of burritos, salads, and tacos. A pitcher of margaritas or local beers are usually popular with a group as well! If you collect stickers, just ask at the counter and if they have any on hand, they will gift one to you.

Saturday morning and this is the place to be to get a true slice of the Pacific. The Otara Flea Markets have rows and rows of fresh fruit, clothing, bric-a-brac and of course food, but it’s the Polynesian colour and music that makes it so special. Far from the traditional shop fronts of Queen Street, this is where commerce meets culture and you can pick up a mighty decent bag of apples for $1.50.

Zurich’s first permanent covered market opened in 2010 in the Im Viadukt, marked by its striking century-old stone arches. At the market’s heart is this bustling restaurant, which offers a menu of homey meat-centric dishes like its signature veal meatballs.

Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market is crammed with 120 vendors, butcher counters, bakeries, ethnic eateries, and seafood shops. But there’s one reason why most people come here: the peameal bacon sandwich, which is dished up at the Carousel Bakery. It’s not really bacon—or at least not the bacon you usually eat—but rather tender, thicker strips of pork, cut from the loin and then rolled in peameal (like cornmeal but made from peas), and served on a kaiser roll with a swipe of mustard. It’s a porklicious treat!

Just when it seemed like the Riviera Maya Riviera had become nothing but a sea of all-inclusive beach resorts, you stumble upon the quaint little Mexican village of Puerto Morelos. There are almost no huge developments, no shopping outlets, and no chain restaurants. The place is absolutely magical and is like traveling back in time. There is a small town square or plaza lined with palm trees, small cafes, and local boutiques. You can always find a good margarita to sip on at the super hip little bars scattered around the small town. If you find yourself on the Yucatan peninsula don’t miss this opportunity to travel back in time 50 yrs and experience the “old” Mexico.

As proof that Dallasites aren’t all about the carnivore life, this downtown market has been peddling farm-fresh veggies, dairy, and more since 1941. What started as a small horse-and-wagon wholesale market is now a 26,000-square-foot hall lined with farm stands, artisan food vendors, and specialty purveyors, plus food hall–style stalls and four permanent restaurants. From fresh baked goods to gourmet cheeses, globally sourced spices to locally grown produce, and seafood to spirits, you’ll find everything you need to stock your pantry or picnic basket. After shopping, grab some coffee or lunch to enjoy at the indoor or outdoor seating areas—the latter facing views of the downtown skyline.

Dongdaemun, the old East Gate of Seoul, has been the site of a market for generations. Today, the double-roofed stone arch no longer marks entry into the city, but the capital’s residents still come here to haggle over everything from shoes to plumbing supplies and electronics. Food is not left out of the equation; although large produce markets are not found immediately by the gate, roving merchants wheel seasonal fruit in and around the incessant traffic. As evening rush hour neared, this particular cart was almost empty of its offerings, and the vendor seemed ready for the day to end... To get there by subway: Line 2, exit Dongdaemun Stadium Station, or Line 1 or 4, exit Dongdaemun Station.

Seoul’s Folk Flea Market is a place where you can buy anything, I mean anything! This scary contraption looks like an invention of a comic book super-villain, but for the small price of 5 dollars you could be tightening those crow’s feet and zapping imperfections in no time! Huzzah! This is truly a special market—with more random wingdings than your grandparents’ attic. To get to the flea market, head to Sinseoldong Station on the light green line, Line 2. I recommend exit 10. After exiting, execute a U-turn, then walk straight for about 20 feet, take a right and walk straight for 280m. Along the way you will see vendors on the street and signage guiding you to the main building.

We arranged a private tour of the Mekong River Delta through the Park Hyatt Saigon. We were driven from the hotel to Cai Be in a Cadillac with snacks and drinks, then escorted to our private river boat (also loaded with fresh fruit, coffee and tea, and other snacks). Our english-speaking tour guide brought us onto a small rowed boat through the smaller channels of the delta, explaining local life and the various trades of the people who live there. We saw a floating market and had lunch at Mr. Kiet’s historic house. Highly recommend spending the morning and afternoon on this tour.

During my first trip to Shenzhen, a Chinese friend brought us to this market one evening where he often stays for hours drinking and buying tea. You’ll find stall after stall of great quality and a huge variety of teas, as well as tea sets and accessories. The shopkeepers expect you to sit and drink, and don’t worry even if you don’t plan to buy.

On a weekend morning, hop on Metro Line 10 to the Panjiayuan station and take exit B. Just down the road is the sprawling Panjiayuan Market, where hundreds of vendors sell their wares. It’s essential to bring cash, patience, and a willingness to bargain. While there aren’t authentic antiques here, you will find loads of curios from the 1950s onward, including a superb selection of colorful propaganda posters at a fraction of what they sell for in central Beijing shops, as well as lacquerware, teapots and cups, jewelry, chopsticks, and textiles. Larger items, like traditional carved-wood furniture and substantial framed paintings, can easily be stowed in one of the taxis that wait patiently near the entrance for happy shoppers.

Every Saturday, more than 70 stalls fill the Eveleigh Railyards with regional produce, artisan breads, cheeses, jams, fresh coffee, and flowers. 243 Wilson St., Eveleigh, 61/(0) 2-9209-4735. This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue. Image: Petrina Tinslay

Dried fruits, nuts and more at Djemaa el Fna, I didn’t know what most of the items were but was sure to try 90% of them and everything was delicious. Moroccan food is amazing but only when eaten in Morocco!

Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill pairs eclectic, of-the-sea décor with some of the best seafood in town. Don’t miss the BBQ oysters with Crystal Hot Sauce and blue cheese dressing. Next door, Bourbon House is known for its towering plateaux de fruits de mer, which comes with oysters with caviar, boiled Gulf shrimp, mussels, crab fingers, and seafood salad, and its impressive bourbon selection. Donald Link’s latest endeavor, Peche, is to seafood what Cochon is to pork. On Magazine Street, Casamento’s is an institution for its oyster loaf and fried seafood platters, plus it’s fun to watch the hulking shuckers tackle piles of just-off-the-boat bivalves.