Food - The Essence of Culture

Upon deciding on North America as our bi-annual holiday destination, I was a little concerned. What would I eat for 40 days? I was sure America had an abundance of food in terms of fast food but a foodie such as myself could not live on burgers alone. Fortunately, our destination was decided much in advance, and this gave me time to gather some research. Already an avid fan of Andrew Zimmern and Man vs Food’s Adam Richman, I watched and noted the eateries they visited and mouth-watering choice food they devoured. After compiling my research, I was set!

Whilst driving from New York to Seattle, I got to cross most of the eateries from my list. I started in Chinatown, New York.
New York is famous for many things, & is often called a “melting pot” of people, but for me, the “melting pot” was the pot in which the beautiful, yet frail Italian woman cooked fresh ravioli to served at her family’s small restaurant in Little Italy. It was the pot upon which daughters steamed dim sum whilst their sisters manned the front desk. In a city like New York, it’s easy to toss aside seemingly overrated places like Little Brazil, Italy and Chinatown in favor of the higher class, higher-priced restaurants of the Upper East Side, but for a true taste of the land, the heart of the city is “where it’s at!”

Though we visited many places in between, our next stop was Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is famous for Graceland, Elvis Presley, and ribs. As much as I love those Elvis tunes-I knew Beale Street was the place to be. So I hit the Man-vs-food approved Rendezvous Ribs. After demolishing that plate, I thought about how much America had to offer tourists and residents alike. Sure, it may not have the depth of culture that India & China have, but what it does have, it graciously brings to your table. As Andre Zimmern put it “Be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things….and look beyond what is right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.”