Open Writing

American restauranting has held my fascination since first I came here 37 years ago. It is very different to what I was used to in the UK and Europe. At the root of the difference is the whole attitude towards eating out. I grew up with the idea that restaurant dining was a special experience to be savored and enjoyed, even if one did it frequently. Whereas, in the US it’s more a question of satisfying one’s appetite as rapidly as possible.

Superimposed on this difference, it appears to be difficult for restaurateurs to make money without cheating on their taxes. The most common cause of restaurant closings is non-payment of taxes, or failing to meet the tithes imposed by organized crime. This has the effect of reducing the life span of a particular establishment, thereby nullifying any chance of building a following for longer than a generation, if that.
The other main cause of illogical failure is family feuding. A family owned eating establishment can operate successfully for years, until one member either dies or wants out, thereby upsetting the balance of power. When I lived close enough to New York City to visit periodically, one after another, my favorite restaurants went out of business.

San Dominico’s, The Inn on the Park, Café Des Artistes, Chanterelle, among others, all fell afoul of the tax/crime/family feud syndrome. There are many others that I did not frequent that are also no more. R.I.P.

On reflection, perhaps it is this fragility that drives would be restaurateurs to the extremes of diversity that we see today, each one believing that their particular formula will be more durable. Whatever the reason, it is possible today, in a given urban area, to eat at a different type of restaurant every night for months.

Population movement is also a factor. People from the mid-west want their barbecue, ribs and chili when they move to the east coast for job opportunities or vacation. When urbanites from the North East come south they need a diner in order to feel at home.

Recent immigrants tend to flock together until they are established, so once an ethnic group reaches critical mass in a given area, restaurants serving them begin to appear. Thus in Miami, Florida, Cuban eating establishments are everywhere.
In the large maritime cities such as San Francisco and New York, the Chinese have been a presence for generations, and where a significant number of Jews live you will find the classic and much copied delicatessen. The delis, as they are called, are among the most distinctive establishments in terms of the foods offered, the décor, or lack of it, and the ambience, or lack of it.

Just like the English pub, the deli cannot be replicated, because it is an integral part of the community. Just because non-Jews think it is hip to eat at a deli, doesn’t mean that I will survive without its ethnic supporters. In truth, a genuine New York deli is not a comfortable place for non-Jews.

The tiled walls and black and white tiled floors make for a cold atmosphere and horrendous acoustics. The wait staff, if there are any, and the counter staff, are often loud and ill-mannered, and much of the food is, let’s face it, indigestible. Why else would Jews suffer so many severe digestive tract disorders? But if a deli closed in a community, my bet is that the Jews would move away.

Newark, New Jersey and Tampa Florida are both noted for their concentration of Portuguese communities and great restaurants. Newark alone has 20. Border cities like San Diego in California and El Paso in Texas reflect their proximity to Mexico in the number and variation of establishments serving Mexican and Texmex food. And of course, Italian Trattorias and fine restaurants are everywhere.

As ethnic concentrations have dispersed throughout the Country, so have the ethnic based restaurants. It would be a stretch to call Fort Myers, the city where I live, sophisticated. It’s a family oriented vacation center. However, within a comfortable drive from my home, I can eat Italian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, Indian, Brazilian, Asian Fusion, Cuban, and even American food.

“American” eateries come in all shapes, sizes and standards, from the humble diner to what passes for haut cuisine. In between are seafood restaurants, rib joints, barbecue pits, and the armpit of all establishments, the “Sports Bar.”

Such a place will have anything up to 20 large screen TV’s, positioned in such a way as to make it impossible not to see one, each one playing or replaying a sports event; mostly American football, basketball or baseball. If they don’t appeal, then you can watch while a group of sports commentator argue heatedly over who could have, should have, done whatever they didn’t do.

The sports bar menu is limited, usually confined to a variety of sandwiches and burgers, and baskets of various finger foods – chicken wings, shrimp, fish fingers etc., and of course fries with everything. Waitresses are usually skimpily dressed women who long ago lost their “Playboy” lissomness, if they ever had it.. Popular libations are a frosty jug of weak beer, or a selection of 20 or so bottled beers. Wine is available but considered wimpish.

I’ve long ago come to terms with the US dining milieu, but oh how I long for a leisurely, five course dinner, served expertly by a knowledgeable, European trained waiter, in a quiet, sumptuously decorated restaurant with soft acoustics. Those were the days.

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