from Plate to Palate

It is amazing to see how food has gone beyond mere sustenance to wholesome entertainment to an art form across various geographies shaped by local economy, events and availability. After visiting several geographies and cultures and imbibing and consuming copious quantities of nutrition available it has dawned on me that good eating experience does not equate to high cost or high society living. 'Value' is definitely in the mouth of the beholder but identifying good eats takes time. Once you find it you stick with it. The challenge faced by a traveler to unknown lands is you know little of what to expect; but at times that clean palate can be the best ignorance. Preconception can be deterimental. What is oddly interesting is also how various cultures separated by geography have some food preparations that resemble each other. Breads of the world all have the rising yeast as a common denominator yet produce vastly varying outcomes from Naan to Bhaturas to Baguettes to Pita to Croissants. Marinating and storage is the underlying theme yet it yields diverse products from Lonche (pickles made of fruits and veggies) to Kimchis to Confit (meat cured and cooked in fat). Some foods through excellent marketing get elevated to god like cult status and some go unnoticed. The marketing adds to the cost of the product more than what the actual ingredients or effort to prepare is worth. Whether one wants to partake this based on aspirations and convey a certain image is up to the consumer (and the size of their wallet or credit history). I have personally always enjoyed the holes in the street with some decorum regards to service and hygiene. I think purchasing power of the currency in hand also drives decison making. The food that I could not enjoy back in India at one point I did come back and pig out on in one of my last excursions since dollar is king. It was amazing - spendy but divine. The situation varies where certain product is not available at a lower price point because there is no demand for it at that strata. Buffets can be another option to explore the unknown especially on a budget. Whether on land or on a boat it does get to you if you see that food over and over again. Variety (not just for food) in day to day activities keeps the spirit alive to try another dish another day. Another nuance you get to see is how a culture interprets what is tasty or savory. Level of heat and spice that a palate can tolerate or the versatality to enjoy and appreciate what is amazing is a function of early upbringing and innate spirit of adventure. I see many American natives (caucasian) go ga ga over Italian cuisine and not quite come to terms with Vietnamese food. To some of them the food construct or optics of a foreign product on a plate (or bowl or stick) itself is a major leap before it goes in the mouth. Clearly the service aspect of the food delivery impacts opinion early. Restauranting is not an easy business and packaging the whole experience is not an Asian forte. Yet to the uninformed a trip to experience the colors and flavor details of Asian foods is possible if accompanied by an informed guide. I have seen some Caucasian friends of mine take to it to the point that they recommend we eat Asian if we are out more than the other natives (desis).