THE PEOPLING OF NEW YORK: MHC @ Lehman

***SPARK***

Chapter 16 explores the culinary culture of New Yorkers. Affluent individuals, also known as yuppies, dine at fancy restaurants simply to build or maintain a New York identity. The restaurant of choice for them has to be one of the “best” restaurants in the city, even if the food, atmosphere, and service may not be the finest. Most yuppies who dine at various ethnic restaurants do so not because of any genuine interest in learning about the different culture or food, but merely to appear sophisticated. Those who don’t dine at ethnic restaurants enjoy the fact that as New Yorkers they have that option. New immigrants will eat at fast food places such as McDonalds or KFC because these are easily the most “western” restaurants. Eating out helps to gain a sense of modernity and is a method of assimilation for them. For many immigrants, eating out is eating “American” food and eating at home is eating the traditional food of the native country. What are some of the reasons you, or others New Yorkers, like to eat out? Also, what factors influence your choice to eat at a certain restaurant? Do you just walk into anything “Zagat Rated” or do you read online reviews?

The complicated issue of authenticity is also brought up. A French restaurant in NYC will always be compared to the restaurants in France. But is that the best way to measure authenticity? Is authenticity something that can be measured? Due to the chapter’s discussion of what is perceived to be “American,” I ask: Do you think there is an “American cuisine?” Or would you say that there is an American culinary culture, but no definite cuisine?

Chapter 17 deals with a distinctly different side of NYC. The culinary culture that New Yorkers pride themselves in has a dark, depressing shadow. We live in the same city, but we live so differently. “Hungry City” reveals a sad reality, in which one in every five persons in NYC is below the federal poverty line. Whose fault do you think it is? Is it anyone’s fault? How? Many problems exist in the poor neighborhoods. There are barely any supermarkets, while there are bodegas on every corner. This means a lack of fresh and green vegetables, and things are relatively more expensive than their better-quality counterparts in the more privileged neighborhoods. The crowdedness of fast-food joints and little amount of cash in their pockets lead people to fill their stomachs with fattening and highly detrimental foods. Which would you say is the #1 problem out of those mentioned in this chapter? Why?

Despite the many efforts (food-drives, food stamps, and other charitable and governmental aid), this is still no food security for tens of thousands of New Yorkers. If you can, think of one proposal to solve this issue (or the #1 problem you identified). Or do you think it’s not solvable? I think that although direct efforts such as soup kitchens are helpful, increase in the number of supermarkets would be more effective. More supermarkets would mean cheaper food prices and more green vegetables, and that would help solve many issues that result from poverty and malnutrition, such as obesity. This will not end all the problems, but it will make things a lot better than they are now.

A French restaurant in NYC will always be compared to the restaurants in France, that’s true, but authenticity cannot be measured in a place so far away. What I mean is there is no one standard for authenticity because many people cook the same dish in different ways. I believe that in America a French dish cannot be made with complete authenticity (a huge reason being that the same ingredients are so different in America as opposed to other countries). Relating to the chapters repetition of what is “American,” I think that there is no such thing as really distinct American cuisine. When I think American, I think McDonalds and fast food places and the things they serve. Just like in New York, American cuisine consists of many different cuisines mixed and altered.
Most of the time when I go to eat out it is either because 1) there is nothing to eat at my house- or I have no time or desire to make something and 2) because its nice to eat something outside of my culture food once in a while. When I choose a restaurant it is because either I’ve been craving something specific or something we haven’t had for a while. Usually, we don’t review restaurants online or anything- we either go by what friends tell us or if the place looks interesting.
Chapter 17 was a lot more depressing. It’s hard to believe that in one of the most famous cities in the world there are so many people who are so unfortunate. Who’s fault it is or is it anyone’s fault at all- well that is different for every person. However, I find it very interesting that people totally overlook the facts about our city. Like Kazi said, there are barely any supermarkets but there are bodegas on each corner- not only is it harmful health wise for everyone, but also it is much more expensive than buying your own products and cooking them. As a result people end up spending much more on food than is possible in a lot of other places, and this may be one of the reasons that people get pulled below the poverty line in the first place (not all, of course). The sad, sad reality.

***SPARK***

“Eating Out, Eating American: New York Restaurant Dining and Identity” by Mitchell Davis was my favorite of the two readings especially because it was about something almost every New Yorker likes to do: eat out.
The author talked about how dining out in New York is very closely linked to our identity; what we eat and where we eat defines who we are.
Something very interesting I found was that nowhere else, but in New York, do people seriously talk about where to eat: “…it’s discussed at dinner parties, debated on the radio, and explored in depth by food-scholar types.”
Not only that, some people only eat at restaurants after carefully analyzing the menu and reading reviews either online or in print.
Question: Do you read about the restaurant you’re planning on eating in ahead of time? How much of those reviews really matter to you?

New Yorkers take pride in their food. Their food is “modern and multicultural.” Eating out is very popular practice in NYC especially when “many apartments are built without a kitchen.”
Question: How many times, in a week, do you dine out? (Doesn’t have to be a formal dinner, could be take-out).

In case of the Bengali-American immigrant, Mr. Ray, it can be seen that when he’s out of his house he is willing to try any kind of food, but when he’s home, he wants his rice, dal (spicy lentils), and chicken curry.
Question: Would you eat any kind of food (given that it’s halal and kosher) or at some point you would crave your native food (or whatever foods you’re accustomed to eating everyday)?

“Hungry City” by Poppemdieck and Dwyer presents another side of food and NYC. NYC is often previewed as “the glamour city and the skyscraper city of glass,” but we forget that 1.6 million poor New Yorkers struggle everyday to feed themselves and their family. While reading this chapter I felt that the statistics presented were a little overwhelming and repetitive, but then later realized that this was done for the purpose of reiterating the fact that the poor, especially the working poor, are indeed in a difficult situation despite getting help from public and private organizations and programs such as soup kitchens, food pantries, food stamps etc.

New York, in general, is very expensive and the fact that there are no supermarkets in some areas doesn’t help because small stores have low volume of stock, which means higher prices for the customers. Also, most food pantries and kitchens are open in the morning and have inflexible hours so the working class poor are not able to feed themselves.
The food distributed is not always healthy: “New York’s neighborhoods are the epicenters of the city’s diet-related diseases…” this means more burden on the city’s healthcare system.
Question: Despite so many programs, thousands of New Yorkers are still hungry, and on top of that affect other government run programs like city hospitals and city-granted homes. Do you think if more money is allocated towards providing healthy food and opening up more kitchens for longer will help NY financially?

Something that was very interesting and new to me was the ‘Community-supported agriculture program’, which operates by charging customers up front for the entire season (at a discounted rate) and then enjoying healthy vegetables throughout the season. This, however, only helps people who can afford to pay farmers the whole sum of money at once.
Despite so many efforts to rescue poor hungry New Yorkers, sometimes “the choice between food and rent, food and medicine and little healthy and a lot of unhealthy food” still has to be made. Like the example of E 96th street, where one side is the underprivileged East Harlem and the other side is the affluent Upper East Side, people often see the glamour of NYC and fail to notice the impoverished side.

Sorry guys, my post looks really long, but actually isn’t that bad 🙂
I have way too many spaces and some questions are a little long…
Hope you like it!

In response to Kazi’s spark and chapter 16 of Gastropolis (Eating Out, Eating American,) I don’t know if the matter of eating out in relation to one’s identity is such a black/white issue as presented through the yuppies’ pedantic desire to be “cultured.” While I understand the point Davis tries to make about the act of eating out in New York as a proclamation of identity, that sort of question involves more nuances than the simple: “he’s a yuppie and therefore wants to eat out to be more of a New Yorker.” I do agree though, that there is a note to be made about the issue of westernization for immigrants, whose decisions should be more involved as they choose what foods to eat when, and from where depending on their situations and levels of assimilation, something an upper-middle class native income can’t buy. Personally, I eat out because it’s better food than I’ll get at home. The most important part of an “eating out” experience for me is atmosphere. I think it matters to me whether the image the restaurant portrays is consistent throughout, in terms of service and food. For example, there is a restaurant I go to that gives off a very relaxed atmosphere, and where you can just grab peanuts, eat them, and throw the shells on the wooden floor. The live music is always some sort of good jazzy, bluesy show, and the food tastes good, but doesn’t attempt to adorn itself in presentation. Some days though, I really am out for a good eat, so I think the reasons I eat out can change depending on how hungry I am.

Eating out is a number of experiences. There is, of course, the culinary factor, where I want to enjoy the food itself. I also think the decor is of some importance: I want to feel comfortable in my environment, though if I had to choose food over decor I would choose food every time. Then there is the social factor, where you want to have a blast with friends. For me, eating out is a combination of all these, and food is the catalyst that makes it all happen. Sometimes I will read reviews about a restaurant, though I find that they are not always accurate. For example, I recently went to a restaurant on the West Side called Shun Lee, and though some of the reviews online were negative and not at all inspiring, I found the food to be excellent and the decor simply fantastic. The service was great too (it’s always a good sign when real Chinese people are serving real Chinese food).

I think we had an illuminating discussion about authenticity in last week’s class. I think it is very difficult to find something that is truly authentic, for the reason that it is even more difficult to actually define “authentic.” I do not think there is any single “American” cuisine, but rather that “American cuisine” is a big compilation of many many many many other cultural cuisines. In fact, America itself is a compilation of all these different cultures, so I think that “American” cuisine, such as it is, in many ways reflects that. I don’t htink we can even consider hamburgers and hot dogs American, because they really were an outgrowth of German food.

I’m not sure how to answer Kazi’s question about how to deal with the problem of poverty, other than to say that it is really a tragic reality and one which we must constantly work on to improve. I don’t know if more supermarkets would help, but they might. I think the poor just need to be shown more compassion and caring and be given a leg to stand on in order even to begin to start solving the problem of poverty.

In response to Rav’s question about food, I eat out fairly regularly, though I do think it is true that nothing beats home cooking. 🙂 When I eat out, I don’t mind going to a restaurant of my own culture (Italian/Ukrainian), but I usually try to order something that’s a little exotic and not necessarily easy to make on my own. For instance, I seem to order a lot of fish wherever I go, because fish is hard to cook on your own (and expensive! :))

I preferred Chapter 16 of Gastropolis, ‘Eating Out, Eating American’, over chapter 17. Partially because chapter 17 wasn’t very likeable with all the statistics of poverty in NYC, but also because I very much enjoy eating out in restaurants. Unfortunately, I think I enjoy eating out for the wrong reasons. The chapter talked a lot about New Yorkers carefully choosing where to eat out and knowing where not to eat out. When I go out to eat, I never look up the restaurant to see if they’ve received good ratings or anything like that. Nor do I go out because I want to be associated with eating at a certain restaurant. I enjoy eating out because its fun, easy, and most of the time whatever I eat in a restaurant is better than whatever I would have had for dinner had I stayed home.

On the subject of authenticity, I do not think comparing a French restaurant in NY with a restaurant in France is an accurate measure of authenticity. Obviously the NY restaurant will not be the same as the one in France. You just can’t perfectly mirror the cuisines made in France unless you’re actually in France, or at least Europe. I don’t think there is a uniform, correct way to measure authenticity. I think it is dependent on a person’s personal taste and opinion whether or not a particular restaurant is authentic.

Chapter 17, ‘Hungry City’, highlights the alarming and depressing rates of poverty in NYC. As New Yorkers, we easily overlook this fact. We all see a lot of homeless people in train stations and on park benches, but we never really take a moment to consider just how many people in NY are living in poverty. Of all the problems mentioned in the chapter that plague New York’s poor neighborhoods, I think the most important one to consider is the lack of real supermarkets in poor neighborhoods. Not having a supermarket where you can go buy good foods to make your family a decent dinner sets off a domino effect of other problems. Poor residents are then forced to do their ‘grocery’ shopping at corner stores, or eat out at crappy fried chicken/pizza places whose specialty cuisine is fried grease on a bun. If residents of poorer neighborhoods in NY had access to real supermarkets and could eat better, I think that would go a long way in helping the residents live better lives.

I do not choose to eat out often on my own; I find it more expedient to eat at home, plus, if you cut out a few restaurant trips, you can splurge on more material items. However, when I do eat out, it’s usually for a celebration or as a pick-me-up. I tend to frequent the same venues (which I do not locate through food reviews, although I read them nonetheless), but through word-of-mouth. Perhaps this is not the best method, since taste is subjective, but this modus operandi has worked well for me in the past.

In terms of how to solve the problem of the major schism between the rich and poor in relation to food, I do not think that more government spending is the key. If more money were focused on providing jobs to the unemployed and better job opportunities to the poor, perhaps through community centers, which provide some of these services, then those reliant on Food Stamps and/or other forms of government assistance would be able to afford more nutritious food. Food Stamps and government assistance are supposed to be temporary aid to get a person back on one’s feet; providing more food but no job is not the key to helping a person succeed. In terms of the lack of supermarkets with healthy food in lower-income neighborhoods, I do not think there is much use in the government intervening. If a company considers it profitable to open a store in a location, and believes that the residents will frequent their enterprise, then they will be competing to open stores in those locations. The reason they do not is because they do not consider it profitable, and they do not believe the community would frequent their store. For the government to sponsor a supermarket’s opening would be a conflict of interest; not just in terms of which supermarket would get the commission, but also in terms of the government’s role in a free market economy.

In response to Kazi, comparing a French restaurant in NYC to a French restaurant in France is not the best way to measure authenticity because of course there are going to be differences between the two. To answer the question, “Is authenticity something that can be measured?” I would say no. Authenticity is in the eye of the beholder. Does it mean the food is good? Does it mean the chef is French? Our class discussion last week shed a lot of light on the topic of authenticity. Drawing from the conclusions in class, I’ve decided that authenticity is just a marketing tool for restaurants to draw in customers. It’s a restaurant’s way of presenting itself. It’s about image, not food.

Do you think there is an “American cuisine?” Or would you say that there is an American culinary culture, but no definite cuisine? There is definitely an American culinary culture, no doubt about that. The American culinary culture is all about fusion. The only ethnic American cuisine is Native American cuisine. The early settlers brought influences from Europe, and today new immigrants are bringing their influences. Often, people think of hamburgers and hot dogs and apple pie when they think of American cuisine, but hamburgers and hot dogs are based on traditional German dishes. While it may be hard to pinpoint definite American cuisine, it does exist. We just have to accept the fact that American cuisine is a fusion of other cuisines. American cuisine is also regional. Being from Alabama, I can attest to Southern food. Southern cuisine is influenced by Native American cuisine, European cuisine, and slave culture, but it all mixes together to create something distinctively Southern and distinctly American. I think the same can be said for a lot of other foods in America.

In response to Rav, do you read about the restaurant you’re planning on eating in ahead of time? How much of those reviews really matter to you? If I’m going out to eat for something in particular, I will search for it on Google maps and read the reviews on there. That way, I can find a place that other people recommend and find its location. Those reviews help me choose a place to go, but I care about the food, not the image. I don’t go to a place because it’s the cool place to go. I go to a restaurant because I genuinely want to try it.

How many times, in a week, do you dine out? I don’t dine out that often because I can’t afford to. I like going out to eat, though. I dine out maybe once every two or three weeks. I haven’t been able to go out and try different foods as much as I would like, but I’ll get to it eventually.

Would you eat any kind of food or at some point you would crave your native food? I love trying different cuisines because I love trying new things. I’ll try anything if it’s vegetarian. I think it’s fun to explore all the food that’s out there because it’s all so different and there’s so much to choose from. However, I do have a strong appreciation for my native food, and it’s nice to taste something familiar. Now, I shop and cook on a tight budget, so I mostly eat cheap, simple foods. But I love going out and trying new things, and going home and eating my mom’s cooking.

In response to some of Kazi’s questions, I eat out because I enjoy having people wait on me (seriously!)- it seems that I rarely ever get to truly relax- I’ll admit, eating a home cooked meal can be delicious, rewarding, and a lot more cost effective- but it means that I will have to do dishes and stress out. Eating out is a release from stress, and it is often extremely tasty! I often eat more “exotic” dishes- I am not the type of person to order pizza. At the same time, based on the reading and what we have discussed the past few weeks about eating out, I think that I do it for a number of reasons. It still upsets me if someone only eats “american” food because of my own beliefs about it, but I also enjoy the ways in which other cultures cook their meals. They are just so much more delicious, in my opinion.
I don’t think that authenticity can be measured, especially after our riveting discussion the other day. I think one can be able to see if something is more authentic than some other restaurants, but it is such a vague term to define that it becomes nearly impossible. I classify most American food to be things such as burgers, fries, bagels, pizza, and obviously, fast food. Even though most of the things I describe as american are really taken from other cultures (just like all the foods around the world), it is really what makes America stick out. It’s what many people think of when they think AMERICA! – sadly.
Everyone answered Kazi’s questions about the supermarkets and bodegas accurately. They are expensive because of the expensive ways in which one must stay above in new york city, both in sense of making a business and paying the rent. It is such a difficult thing to attempt to tackle the serious issue of food hunger and other issues related to it in NYC. There are too many people, to little food, and too much money that needs to be spent. Hopefully, when our economy begins to pick up, more services will be formed to assist the hungry and homeless. For now, the best way to handle the issue is through community service.

Good sparks guys! In response to Kazi’s first question and our first reading I must say I agree with Carol. Identity through eating out isn’t so boldly defined as in life as it is in Davis’ words. I do not think a Yuppie’s identity if you will depends on the choices he makes concerning where to eat and where to be seen as the case may be for a Yuppie. I do not believe this aspect of a Yuppie’s assumed attributes correlates specifically with the attributes of our city. A wealthier person will eat out in the most expensive restaurants simply because they can, the rich will buy what they want for they can, it is that simple. Our city affords them the opportunity to go to more restaurants however but our city itself is not unique in their underlying decisions. Our city is unique in the number of restaurants it has and the diversity among them. In response to Kazi’s question the rating of the restaurant has nothing to do with my choice to eat there. My choice simply is based on my experience, and the quality of the food is the most important thing of my experience. I therefore eat in the same places over and over again and truly never grow weary of them.
Kazi I must say the issue of authenticity continues to fascinate me. Somewhere along the way we have as a people assimilated the word authentic to mean good as in tasty or pleasing to our American pallet. But I must say as Americans or immigrants to America how can we possibly know what truly authentic meals taste like unless we eat in every country. Are not all restaurants that we eat in this country changed in someway to become more marketable, and even if they remain traditional are the foods not changed when served in a different country? We as Americans have meals and foods we assume to be authentic or traditional but are in fact just American expansions of a traditional idea. In fact a truly authentic meal could be a food we have never even heard of or would never encounter in this country. Perhaps the food is something we would never think to assign as being authentic. I would say that we have a problem with diction and interpretation. Authentic represents an idea or belief associated with an ethnic group, but is a false perception. English as well has a tendency to be a bit muddled or ambiguous with terminology. Authentic food is simply a title and an implication but truly holds no value in words. We cannot through flavor or experience in this country alone truly determine what is authentic. Authenticity is in no way synonymous with good tasting. With that said tastes are unique, different and are never accurate descriptions of a foods authenticity.

My favorite chapter was Chapter 17 =] “Hungry City” The biggest reason is it reminds me of a lot of places I go visit and notice the lack of good healthy foods, Even where I live. When i go to my doctor, which is at the heart of Mott Haven, there are very little in the way of actual healthy foods and instead very unhealthy cheap foods are available. The super market I know is Associated and to be honest that supermarket isnt really that great D= I went there and they had spoiled strawberries >.< Another thing is when people do not have correct ingredients to cook with and have no money they turn to extremely cheap and unhealthy ways to cope with the situation. In a film we watched in Medical Anthropology called "Bad sugar" It describes that when Native people are taken out of their homeland such as the native americans, Black people, abriginal, or island people, then they turn to other responses to feed themselves and most often they are under the poberty line. In the film one tribe called the Tahono who has the highest rate of diabetis (about more then half of the adults and alot of children have it) have it because of the inability to reach good supermarkets or if they do they cant get the correct food because they are too poor. Fried Bread, a now staple meal in thier lifestyle, came about because it was the only ingredients they had. What I am trying to say is, its sad that the healthy food is too expensive for most people including my family to buy. I would love to go to Trader Joe's (Never been to one) or Food Market but frankly its too expensive so I have to settle with C-Town. I think the government should step it up in terms of providing people with hearty healthy foods that is affordable. The whole trans fat movement is great but more still needs to be done.

Dining out is great experience. I love to dine out with friends but I do it for social reasons. The only time I ever go out to a restaurant by myself is to take out or to a diner where im really good friends with the owner and we sit down and eat together. For me, the act of eating out isnt too appear sophiscated or to learn, it's to have fun. In response to Chapter 16, being a yuppie might not be too bad, as long as they have fun and enjoy themselves you know. I do it all the time =]. I go to okay restaurants, not exactly the best but its decent and service is fine, but As long as Im having fun then who cares what the rating is, or what it looks like. As long as you are with friends xD

The whole concept of consuming modernity is very eye-catching. It is very true in major cities like Tokyo, New York, Singapore to consume anything that is uncommon in their culture is considered being modernized. The example of being westernized in McDonold was another example of being ahead of the trend in certain countries. I agree with Bruni’s observation that what people is eating is not the point, rather, it is what they believe they are eating construct who they are. The association between food and modernization is a play of mind because dining in a French restaurant doesn’t make a person French, but it allows that person to remove himself from reality and live vicariously as though he’s French for that 2 dining hours.

Also, I would like to comment on the obesity in poor neighborhood. Few months ago, I was talking to Caroline on this topic. Obesity often happens in poor neighborhood due to several reasons. Usually the parents in this neighborhood take on low-paying jobs and work long hours to earn a living. They do not have time to cook for themselves and their children so, fast food become their dining option because it’s more convience and cheaper. And again, in poor community no one care about the quality, they care about the quantity of food available. Even if they want to eat healthily, they can’t because they cannot afford “green” groceries. It is a depressing story but it is resulted from capitalism in USA.

Back to the question:
I usually eat out because I want to try something new at that moment. I used to rely on Zagat to decide on which restaurant to go to but I had a pretty bad experience in one of the top Zagat-rated places in St. Marks. My friend and I went to Momofuku for my birthday celebration but it was not worth it at all. Not only the price was unreasonably high, the service was poor as well.

I liked Chapter 16 more than 17 as well, because the latter is much lighter and happier. I loved the little snippet about how in Las Vegas, they said that the Italian food is so authentic, you’ll swear you’re in New York! It goes to show what people think of New York. When I eat out, I generally don’t go according to the Zagat Survey or any online review, but, like Michal, I go to places by word of mouth. The biggest barrier for me is getting something halal, which is harder than you would think. I usually eat at home because it’s easier, and quite frankly healthier. I’ve been to a high-end New York restaurant once, as I enjoy cheaper one’s more and find those more authentic ( and let’s be real, the food isn’t drenched in wine and the prices are actually on the menu). The upscale restaurant was nice, the food was good, the service was amazing, the design and lighting impeccable, and the presentation flawless. But it wasn’t outstanding. Not enough flavor, spice, or much of anything to be honest, too bland. I find the smaller and cheaper the restaurant, the more authentic and flavorful it is.

I agree with Chris and Caroline. Although where you eat might be important for some yuppies but I highly doubt the rest of us care that much

Chapter 17 was more depressing and for obvious reasons. 1 out of 5 people in New York are below the poverty line. That’s something that you never see, nor hear about while people are singing praises for NY. It’s such a complex problem, I don’t think there’s any immediate solution. Had there been, we would have used it.

I think it’s so unfair that people don’t have access to something as simple as vegetables. Organic food is a much bigger step and twice, often thrice as expensive. I never understood, why is less more? They won’t spray pesticides on your lettuce, so they’ll charge you $2 more for it? I went to Trader Joe’s for the first time last week and the food looked amazing and healthy but the prices were a little outrageous.

The fast food epidemic in NY and the rest of the country is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to food in this area of the world.

I just saw this editorial in today’s NY Post and had to attach a link to it because it’s so appropriate to this blog discussion!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/fresh_food_folly_tE1suDZZfrGZe96qxO7N3N

I like to eat out for celebrations and just because I can afford it. I do go to ethnic restaurants with my image in mind but even then the cost determines which restaurant I’ll go to. If I want Thai food, then I’d go to the affordable Thai restaurant and not the “best” Thai restaurant. Eating out is just for enjoyment since the parents don’t have to cook and everyone can just talk with each other. What influences my decision to eat at certain restaurants depends on my familiarity with the area or cuisine. For example if on my way home from an Italian restaurant I see another Italian restaurant, I’ll make a mental note to dine there next time. If I’m unfamiliar with the cuisine then I ask around for restaurants and then I’ll read online reviews as well as visit the place to make my decision.

I think America does have a cuisine. When I think of America’s cuisine I think of our fast food franchises, Southern food, and foods that are associated with events like turkey and cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. I pretty much agree with Rachel’s explanation of American cuisine but want to add that maybe the passing of time makes a fusion American. One day the fusions of the present maybe popular enough to be sold by street vendors like hotdogs or mentioned as a necessary part of an occasion like pumpkin pie at Halloween.

I think that only providing more food will affect NY financially because from what I understood the kitchens are run by volunteers of small institutions such as churches not organizations like the Food Bank for NYC that is dependent on the federal government for some financial help. I assume that I would be more expensive because of the government may run into the same problem the small grocers face which is being unable to purchase the healthier food in bulk. I think the problem with the kitchens is the time availability. I want to know who is volunteering at these places. Someone has probably thought to switch from morning and afternoon hours to night hours but it would be interesting to know why it can’t happen.

Sorry for the late response, I had a long day and a terrible headache! =/

I have to say, these last two chapters of Gastropolis were a great, yet very realistic view of eating out in New York City, most likely because these are things that I see and personally experience in my everyday life. Though I did not live in any high-end area of Queens before, my living in Norwood, Bronx now demonstrates to me a major difference in the availability of supermarkets and fresh produce in the two areas—it’s one of the things my mom complains about almost everyday. When living in Queens, my mom was able to find many fresh produce and supermarkets only walking distance away, which is not the story for us here. Unfortunately for my family, because we don’t own a car, the limited fresh products availability in this area of the Bronx has actually affected us deeply. For one thing, whereas, we always had a large array of fruits in the house before, now we end up mostly having bananas, and apples and occasionally grapes and oranges, sometimes bought from street vendors when even the local stores are out of stock (and to be honest, they don’t even taste very fresh all the time either).

In response to Kazi’s questions about chapter 17, I would have to say that pointing fingers to any one person to blame would do us no good. The only solution I can think of is if the government encouraged and possibly provide funding for the building of more supermarkets, especially those with a large availability of fresh produce, in poorer neighborhoods. I remember having a conversation with Mayha a while back about how it is unfortunate that even when students want to eat healthy food (in the Lehman Cafeteria), they notice the drastic price difference and end up eating something unhealthy for cheaper and to me, that is the biggest problem—the higher prices on healthier food no matter where we go. In my opinion, that is one of the major reasons as to why 3.2 million New Yorkers are overweight or obese today, which is sadly a VERY large number.

In response to Kazi’s questions I would have to say that I don’t read online reviews for anything. I am not nor ever have been a person who really lets what other people think decide what I will do, which has always been a problem with my parents. I am the kind of person who does as I please no matter what other people think. I eat out at restaurants because it is a lot quicker and requires a lot less effort than making my own food. Fast food restaurants especially make it quick and cheap to eat even though it isn’t good for your health. I’ve never really understood people that do things for the sole purpose of trying to convey a certain personality or lifestyle to other people what should matter is their own opinions about their lives. I don’t think there is “American” food just like it’s hard to pinpoint an “American” or “American” culture because this country is built on the mixture of all different cultures and people. And maybe the fusion of different cultures and foods is our culinary culture just like the fusion and diversity of people may be our culture.

I completely agree Lubna when she talks about the lack of availability and the price of fresher more healthy foods. It’s almost the same thing when it comes to going “green” because it is so much more expensive to eat right and to live a healthy life. Living a healthy life comes with exercise, eating right, resting as much as you’re supposed to and other things. In poorer neighborhoods where the people don’t make much money to start with deciding to buy the more expensive vegetables instead of just rice is something that could make some people go homeless. I know lots of people who would eat healthy if they could afford to but when it comes down to the choice they choose the cheaper foods because it is still filling them up and keeping them alive without killing their already tight budgets.

As much as it is special to eat a home-cooked meal, I do enjoy dining in nice restaurants when I can. As a college student, however, my meals are definitely more commonly thrown together in my kitchen. My eating habits differ from the majority of our class because unlike probably 20/23 of us, I live alone. The family aspect of meal time is gone for me, and I rarely find time to replicate the recipes I enjoy when I visit my parents. That being said, I do grocery shop every week and supplement my Trader Joe’s visits with the occasional take-out. I love actually sitting and dining out, and do so probably once or twice a week. I go with work friends so I usually have no say in the restaurant, but if I ever do I definitely check out the reviews and menu online. I’m not so much a picky eater as a healthy eater and like to make sure I have lots of options.
In terms of authenticity, I agree with most of you who said that it is hard to be truly Authentic when you own an establishment in America. Being that there is no real American Cuisine (burgers? bagels?), each restaurant basically adapts recipes from other countries to American taste buds and American ingredients. We can’t expect a true French crepe in New York City, but French chefs in legitimate places can get us pretty close to the real thing.
Chapter 17 was the more interesting part of the reading for me. I read recently in the New York Times an article that showed where the most obese and overweight residents in the city reside. The correlation between low income areas and obesity was not surprising. Harlem had the highest amount of overweight people, while the Upper East Side had the least. I think the problem is surely the lack of fresh, inexpensive healthy options in the poorer areas of the city. It is no shock that so many poor people are overweight- when you have only a few dollars in your pocket, surely you are going to choose the three dollar, highly caloric, high fat sandwich that will keep you full over the ten dollar fresh salad. I don’t know what can be done to solve this problem, but I think it is something our government and community should spend more time thinking about and trying to solve.

There are many reasons why people like to eat out. For me, living in a city as diverse as New York, there are various ethnic restaurants I can go to eat. That is the main reason I like to eat out. Experiencing food form other cultures is something that should be taken advantage of. I usually like to hear from people that went to the restaurant because my friends know what I like. For me however, eating out could be more than just American food. I like to eat home cooked Serbian meals that my mom prepares, but to keep my culture with me even more, we like to go to Serbian restaurants. There is a big difference between eating ethnic food at home and eating it at a restaurant. For example, a restaurant strives to create a eating space that corresponds with the ethnic theme, where as a home usually doesn’t.
Yes I do think that authenticity can be measured because there is a clear difference between horribly prepared food with unoriginal ingredients and a well prepared meal with originally ingredients. However, I do believe that there is some authenticity that is lost in a ethnic restaurant in another country, like U.S. Certain laws require restaurant to substitute certain ingredients, which loses the authenticity. I believe that the best, most authentic culinary experience you can have with food from a difference country is to eat it in that country.

It is hard to say whether or not there actually is an “American cuisine”. On one hand, the food that the pilgrims brought and started eating when they settled here would be considered American, because they had to adapt to their new location. On the other hand, I think that America is too large and separated to have their own national cuisine. There is definitely a culinary culture influenced by the area and the history of that area. For example, soul food was created in the south during slavery, then you have texas bbq’s, etc…

The scarcity of supermarkets in poor neighborhoods is a huge issue in NYC. Statistics show that poor neighborhoods have higher levels of diabetes and overweight unhealthy people. The reason being is because fast food is more affordable and accessible than slow food.