The Agony of the American Food Court

Why is it that every time I walk into a food court, almost always exclusively in a mall, I get this sense of dread. A dread that slowly turns to death. The death to foods, which ironically should be found in a food court, where battles are won by how tragically low we Americans have come to the state of a meal.

Now, the rest of the world is no stranger to the concept of food courts. You can find them in Asia and Europe. But there's something amiss in the food courts that we so desperately hold on to as "food" that we miss the point of a food court. A food court should be a place where one can find good food. The first and foremost thing about the food court is, imagine that, the food! But we have perversed the notion of a food court to a cheap experience where food is not central, but by how fast and how cheap the food can be that has become the standard by which we contemplate our taste for anything resembling food.

The picture I took above is from Harrod's Food Hall in London. Now, Harrods is the world's biggest department store. It is both magnificent as it is intimidating. And for thousands of shoppers at any given time, you have to keep them happy, if not by the selection of your merchandise, then by keeping them in your store for as long as possible by offering them food. But this Food Hall is so very different than ours here in the States. There are different areas, one that serves seafood, one that serves grill foods, one that serves pizza, etc. You might say, "Well, that's not that different than what we have here." If you looked at the surface, you would be right. But sit down at the seafood counter and you are greeted by items such as crab and rock shrimp dumplings, seafood bouillabaisse, pan roasted halibut with seasonal vegetables and the like. Here in the States, you will find "Pretzel Wetzel" and "Hot Dog on a Stick". Let's not even start with the taste of the foods. We ordered the seafood bouillabaisse and it tasted like it came from a really good seafood restaurant with a bill to fit. Amazing bouillabaisse period, regardless of where it's being served.

Now, to be fair to the cheap American substitutes we find here, the Harrod's Food Hall is not cheap. But you can't put lipstick on a pig and bring her to the prom. The bouillabaisse is damn good. Harrod's could not stiff you with a £14 bouillabaisse if it were crap. You would cry bloody murder and let's face it, the Food Hall would be empty. But look at the picture! It was taken at 4PM on a WEEKDAY. It is humming with people - people from all over the world. We sat next to a family from Italy. On the other side, a family from Russia.

That's where the "let's be fair" ends. Because we seem to love Auntie Anne's more than bouillabaisse. We seem to love hot dogs on a stick served by teenagers with weird Halloween costume than eat crab and rock shrimp dumplings. Why? I think it's because our values are different. Clearly different. We value fast, quick, cheap, so we can get to the other fast, cheap, bargain at the Gap. We don't want to sit down and enjoy a meal at the mall, we want to shop dammit! And nothing will get in our way of totally destroying our credit line, not the least some good food! Just give us the crap you wouldn't even serve your kids. We'll eat it!

It's sad really. I like Auntie Anne's and I don't even know who she is. Or if she's even a woman in real life. But I just cannot be OK with the type of food we are setting a standard in our lives. It's not OK to shove a sBarros thick crust pizza that's nothing but frozen dough and crappy cheese so we can keep shopping. As guilty as the next person, I need to stop and enjoy a meal, no matter where I'm at. It doesn't have to be bouillabaisse and it doesn't have to cost a lot. But it needs to be good and fresh ingredients. My existence depends on it.

Creating Memories

London. Paris. Rome. They're such iconic cities. Names, when uttered, evoke emotions. Memories. They are totally different, yet they are very similar.

We had the fortune to have visited all three cities now. Rome in 2008. London and Paris in 2010. Whereas Rome is known as the Eternal City, London and Paris has its own eternal aura about them. The English, for so long, have been derided for their lack of imagination in its cuisines. Even fish and chips, as iconic as that dish is, has its day in the shadows to the Italians and French in its culinary circles. And yet, over the last decade, England has created and forged many of the best restaurants in the world. Gordon Ramsay, a Scot, has the most Michelin stars of any English chef in the world. In fact, he is only behind the "Chef of the Century", Joel Robuchon in the number of Michelin stars. "Fat Duck" has been perennially been competing with Spain's "El Bulli" as the best restaurant in the world.

So, it's not hard to believe that once you get past the obvious, the sights and sounds of London and Paris, that what rests in the soul, or at least the gastronomical souls, of traveling through these two magnificent cities is the food. I could write for days on end about the Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, Buckinghamd Palace, the Louvre, Versailles Palace, etc. And yet, I can also write for days about the foods we had on this trip.

Haute cuisine did not greet us every day on our 12 days splash to London and Paris this summer, but that's not the only way memories are created. A cup of "cafe", the smell of a boulangerie, the grand luxury of afternoon tea - these are not "haute cuisines", and yet, they brand our hearts and minds with association to cities we've visited. On this trip, we certainly had our fair share of haute cuisines, although we did not visit the royal-ness of a Joel Robuchon or a Gordon Ramsay, we nonetheless ate well in both cities.

Now, whenever I drink a "cafe", I will always remember Paris. More specifically, I will always remember La Regalade, that wonderful restaurant on Rue de Honore by the Louvre. The next time I have a scone, I will always be transported to the Grosvenor House by Hyde Park. These are memories that God willing, will stay in my heart and mind until I am no longer here, only to be greeted by it again when I get to heaven.

Traveling isn't just about seeing the sights and understanding how they are incorporated into the history of that city. It's not rushing into the Louvre and snap some pictures of the Mona Lisa and it's on to another piece of artwork without understanding the importance that painting and artist has had over the ages. Traveling is also about the tastes and smells of the foods that bring us comfort and that open the door for us to see and experience new things. The comfort of English tea will always remind me of England, but eating and experiencing something new, like a tuna tartare at Le Regalade will always remind me that food is ever changing and evolving. One doesn't always have to eat fish and chips where the fish is always cod. Hammock and chips is just as good, if not better.

Part of life is about creating new memories that will fill our lives with richness and depth. We ought to appreciate the importance of why the Magna Carte is so important to the history of democracy. And, we also ought to appreciate the tastes and smells of a city as defined by its foods. There's nothing wrong with eating at McDonalds when you're in Paris, but why transport a memory you already own to a place you have never visited, or have not re-visited in a long time? Isn't it time to create some new memories? It was for us. It was for me.