Being a Local Guide means a lot of things. It means helping other people, it means discovering new things. I think also
Being a Local Guide means promoting our culture and embracing other ones.
It is true a Local Guide could potentially achieve the status by just taking photos to local places, topical food and by ignoring other cultures in the world. I have seen, during my life, people in my country who would eat nothing but pasta and pizza, and I think every country has their category of people who refuse to open their mind about new cultures and food traditions. You could achieve a good level by just doing this; but at the end, is your Local Guides experience complete? For me no.
Thatâs why I love to promote my traditions by also embracing other ones. Itâs not only my effort as a Local Guide, but also my nature. Thatâs what I also do here on Connect. Sometimes I talk about Italian typical dishes, even those you hardly find outside our country. Sometimes I talk about my favorite ethnic cuisine, Chinese food. Sometimes I read posts by people of other countries and reply to them: I am happy to discover new dishes from all around the world. Itâs when you discover them, itâs when you open your mind about everything the world has to offer to us, that you understand every single side of the world deserves to be discovered and appreciated, starting also from food.
Thats why youâll never hear me complain about pizza with ananas, for example: I know some people like it, and so I am happy American pizzerias propose this dish, even if I may prefer a Neapolitan pizza made in my country. This is just one of the various examples because being a little common among Italian criticizes of American food.
I think being a Local Guide means being open to all traditions in the world. Promoting domestic traditions in order to make them discovered by other Local Guides, the same, also learning new things from other Local Guides from the rest of the world. Otherwise, I think we are really not Local Guides, but just âposters on Google Mapsâ. I think Local Guide is the mirror of a specific mentality and openness towards the rest of the world, before any level or points we may have on Google Maps.
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Yes being a Local Guide means taking the role very seriously although it is not a paid âjobâ.
With being a Local Guide comes responsibilities which reflect on the place or food being reviewed and the Local Guides themselves. From these reviews we can make decisions based on the review, details of the places visited and the photographs.
It is not easy being a Local Guide and from knowing Local Guides, I know for certain it is not easy being a Googler and a Moderator.
All kudos to all Local Guides and to the Google team and Moderators. 
Kol
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@Kol-Colleen_2018 being a Local Guide is not easy because also personal attitudes influence it a little. A person who refuses to know new cultures can be surely a Local Guide, but he will lack the ability to interact with the community and to go further to the activity of âreviewing local places near homeâ. Basically, he will end up being just a âperson with high Maps contributionsâ. Most bad if these contributions are just ratings given randomly or photos posted multiple times in different places: in this case the Local Guide is even violating terms of service.
By the way a good Local Guide should be surely open to the world, to diversities of cultures, they should have no prejudices against other cultures, food, in general, they should have a complete open mind. This is something which goes more far than the classic system of points, which just tell you how much active you are on Google Maps.
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Exactly right @user_not_found
A good Local Guide has to be open to trying new foods and learn about different cultures so that they can say they have tried food from all over the world.
By doing that they will realise the world has a lot to offer in terms of places to visit and the variety of foods to try!
Kol
@user_not_found Lovely post, Alessio. If weâre not here to soak up the world, experiences and culture, what are we here for? Aside from eating, of course. The last part is a joke but it was great to read this.
P.S. I looked up ananas and here we just call it a Hawaiian pizza. I am not an adventurous eater but know plenty of people who like pineapple and ham. 
@TraciC pineapple and ham? At the end Italy does something similar! In Italy it is quite common to eat Parma ham with melon. You cut melon in slices and put ham up on these. Itâs still putting fruit together with salad things. Also some people eat cheese with pear. But melon and ham is a popular summer starter in Italy!
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@user_not_found Melon and prosciutto is a big appetizer (or as youâd say, antipasti?) here at Italian restaurants but I prefer to eat mine with cheese.
@user_not_found nice post my friend!
In my case being a local guide is to be a channel of promotion and communication of my country to the rest of the world. There are lots of amazing things to share. Also, is a great opportunity to learn skills as well as meeting great people from all over the world, like Connect for instance. This is pretty remarkable.
