Losing regional cuisine

[gfweb]

Interesting piece in FoodArts on the disappearing regional cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic. Doubtless it also applies to other areas. The big chain restaurants are homogenizing our national tastebuds.

http://www.foodarts.com/news/features/27047/losing-ourselves

[Arey]

On the next island down from Long Beach Island, if you don't count Little Beach,The Rod and Reel Tavern, the last fisherman's and local's dive on the island was inundated by Superstorm Sandy and will not reopen. I grew up in So. Jersey too, and can remember the squashed tomatoes littering Broad Street in Woodbury when the farm trucks were going from the farms to the Campbell's Plant in Camden. Our garbage was collected by an old man called Old John who rode around in a horse drawn wagon collecting garbage. There was always a stream of milky colored fluid leaking from his wagon. He took the garbage to the pig farms in New Sharon and fed to the pigs.This is probably one of the reasons my mother always cooled the hell out of pork. The pigs were wiped out by hog cholera, and the truck farms were wiped out by real estate developers. I have all the So. Jersey prejudices. Miracle Whip is good. Tasty Takes
are far superior to anything Hostess makes, This is the only part of the whole country that produces real Italian Bread When you say you're going to the city you are, of course, referring to Philadelphia..

[gfweb]

Lol. Tastykakes rule. Hostess is for people who like Papa Johns pizza.

[Baselerd]

Do you think it is due to the evil chains, or improved worldwide communication and transportation infrastructure? I think many more aspects of our culture are being homogenized other than food.

[Arey]

Do you think it is due to the evil chains, or improved worldwide communication and transportation infrastructure? I think many more aspects of our culture are being homogenized other than food.

The factors you cite may have accelerated it, but changes I'm referring to began after WWII long before the internet and long before worldwide communication. The transportation infrastructure in So. Jersey dates to the 1950s and is in dire need of repairs. However, I do believe that television has contributed a lot to the disappearance of regional cuisine. In the "50s television and radio ads were continually pushing the idea that cooking and other housework was the most boring drudgery a housewife had to do. Why spend the afternoon slaving away in a hot kitchen when you could just pop a Swanson's Fried Chicken TV dinner in the oven (pre-microwave days) and serve it to your happy family on a TV Dinner Tray while watching Lucy? Look at all the work you saved yourself!

Edited July 31, 2013 by Arey (log)

[gfweb]

I think there are multiple causes. Big chains...low profitability of mom and pop places...people move around much more for work etc and bring their food preferences with them...parents cook less than before