Nico and Kosher Sushi
If I could afford to, I would spend my time in restaurants in New York. The incredible diversity of restaurants is a small way to bring the world to the city. It is actually part of the identity of the city. My family and friends who visit feel cheated if they do not have Polish one night, Tibetan the next and Kosher sushi on the third. While eating stone crab seems to embody a type of culture in south Florida, in New York it seems that for many visitors the gastronomic cultural identity of the city comes from the range on offer, and the hybrids that are created...like Kosher sushi.
Where I come from in the south of France we have a proud tradition of food and eating is one of the major things we do. Sunday lunches often go from noon to 3pm, or later for some. There are several courses, but mainly it is an opportunity to be together as family and friends. I remember when I was growing up that newsagents and other small retailers would close between noon and 2pm so that they could go home and have lunch. For people in the south of France who travel to other parts of the world they are usually interested in the food of the host country if only because back home meals organize their day and are thus so important. Not only can one discover wonder in a new dish or drink- but, perhaps unconsciously, seeing other people’s relationship to food is a way of understanding their culture- so it is not only about the food itself but also about how people relate to the food.
Restaurants play such an important role in giving a sense of a culture and often, when outside the home country, gladly push stereotypes so that customers can feel they are having an authentic experience. When I first arrived to this country, in LA, in 2001, I worked as a bus boy for a couple of months in a French restaurant. The food was good, but the reason people flocked to this relatively small restaurant was because all the waiters and bus boys were French, spoke French and indulged in “Frenchness” for customers. It was somehow very romantic for many customers- it was hell for me- and for an evening they were transported to Paris. I know this because so many told us so. The chef would come out towards the end of the evening, as if looking for something, and invariably a customer would call him over- he would then sit at their table and talk in broken English (as most French people do). For those lucky enough to get the chef’s attention, it felt to them like the whole French treatment. I wonder if the Mexican dish washers would have also been received as stars had they come out to look for something… In a way these local restaurants of foreign foods instill themselves in Bruner’s “pre-tour narrative” and in future tourists’ sense of a country they might visit. They are thus important to consider in the overall gastrotourism industry as a link between the local and the foreign.
Food is also a wonderful marker of the old trade links between different countries. The history of rice, tea and other foods provide fascinating insights into international links and trade routes. On this subject, a book called Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors”. has been warmly recommended to me. http://www.amazon.com/Curry-Cooks-Conquerors-Lizzie-Collingham/dp/0195172418