Culinary Tourism

          When I first started on Lucy Long's chapter of "Culinary Tourism", I thought I'd be in for a relatively dry, in depth look at the mechanics of food marketing in the tourism industry. It started a bit slow for me, but surprisingly I got into the reading after a few minutes -- sure, some sections were slower than others, mostly because of long definitions and lack of voice. But for the most part, I enjoyed reading both Long and Molz's chapters. Long really went into all the different domains that the use of food in tourism encompasses, one of the main questions being how exactly tourism has shaped the meanings of certain foods in communities. This reminded me of the discussion we had after Emily's CYOA about foods cities are known for; I feel that Long's point rings true here, that tourism marketing can definitely overshadow true culture and instead place value on something that shows little about the actual community. In addition, specific foods that may be a huge part of a culture's identity may eventually become part of the tourism industry, which may cause that food to lose some of its original meaning to the culture.
         I definitely think that we are creators of our own experiences. What we experience in touring a place is completely affected by our perception, our expectation, and our attitude towards that place. We can't help but look at everything in a foreign place with a different eye; when I traveled to Spain with my family, I remember that I had a running list of comparisons in my head, constantly paying attention to the contrast between this new place and the familiarity of my home in Madison. This idea that we're creators of our experience also reminded me of when we were talking about food reviewing; Long says that "food is more than the dishes we eat". It's not just what's on the plate, but the atmosphere, feeling, the entire experience that comes with that food.
          I thought Long's ideas about the "exotic" were interesting as well, and that what may be exotic to me may be totally and completely familiar to another person. The exotic lures us to certain things, certain foods and products companies sell. By emphasizing the exotic, companies can interest the adventurers and risk-takers; at the same time, they can also appeal to the home-bodies who love familiarity by emphasizing how local or "old-fashioned" something is.
          Molz's chapter was more interesting to read for me than Long's; I liked that she picked a specific cuisine to show her point, instead of making generalizations about ethnic foods. I felt almost guilty when I started reading -- with my experience in food reviewing, I am indeed hoping to experience another culture by going only a few minutes away from Kalamazoo College's campus. Before reading the chapter, I was hoping to find true authenticity at my restaurant...I am endeavoring to be a tourist without going anywhere outside of Midwestern city I live in. After reading about "staged authenticity", I know now that the restaurant I go to (Thai was actually on my list) will be merely a representation of that culture instead of the real deal. The restaurant may claim authenticity all over the menu, the decorations on the walls, and the people serving the meals, but in actuality the restaurant I go to will most likely reflect some American expectation of that culture. In Molz's opinion, you have to experience the culture first-hand to actually experience any authenticity.