Long

Lucy Long studies the complex relationship between society and food and its role in culinary tourism. Individuals experience and explore unknown foods and cultures presented to them. They are tourists not only as observers but also as participants. Pleasure may be found in the actual eating of a new food or from the process of exploring new experiences. A food system is a wide network of much more than actual consumption but also including numerous other facets spanning food production to recipe collection. It is possible to be a culinary tourist without leaving home by simply scanning cookbooks or watching cooking shows.

The author suggests that the status of a food is determined by the experiences of an individual within a culture and the factors or ‘others’ that influence the results. Culture and ethnicity are prominent factors in distinguishing and recognizing food systems within cultures and specific regions which may have local specialized cuisine. Foodways evolve with time encompassing everything from historical feasts to current health foods as well as traditional celebrations such as Christmas or birthdays. Religious rituals such as Communion or Lent and contemporary ethos have resulted in specialized products such as vegetarian meals and diet foods. Foodways are also divided by socioeconomic class where one class may dine at a fast food restaurant and another at a four star restaurant. All these factors play a role in marketing tourism and are defined by the perspective of those involved whether host and guest or producer and consumer.

Lucy Long contends the culinary experience consists of three realms: exotic, edible and palatable. Food items can shift from exotic to familiar or edible to inedible and vice versa as determined by current perceptions within society. For example a newly marketed food may be considered exotic and even inedible but over a period of time as it becomes more familiar and accepted it will no longer be considered exotic. Foods such as Kiwi fruit and pizza are prime examples. Current health concerns and trends affect the acceptability of certain foods possibly shifting them to inedible. Perspective may change as well with a physical change in location as an individual becomes accustomed to regional specialties. Individuals and cultures can manipulate and redefine realms through advertisement, exposure and education.

The author examines how ethnic restaurants and community-based festivals negotiate these realms using specific strategies. Framing by restaurants involves physical elements such as menus, signs, décor and location. Community festivals concentrate on cultural heritage and identity. Items are identified using the strategy of naming or translation. Restaurants may translate names to sound more palatable while festivals may add place names or historical names to make items sound more exotic. Explication involves describing and explaining ingredients and preparation methods. Festivals present historical and social aspects of familiar food. Menu selection is very important when attempting to introduce exotic foods requiring an acquired taste as edible selections. Serving alongside familiar foods is common and effective. Festivals use historical identity within a cultural region. Recipe adaptation involves omitting or replacing ingredients to make an exotic dish more pleasing and acceptable to the consumer. Festivals adapt recipes in the reverse to make a familiar dish seem more exotic.

The essay concludes food and eating as a vehicle of tourism allow people to share and communicate cultural experiences.