Welcome

Welcome and thanks for visiting EthnoFoodie. This being my first post, let me tell you a little about myself and why I’m doing this. I have worked in the television industry for close to twenty years and I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to five of the seven continents in that time. I’ve been to war zones and resorts, seen poverty as well as opulence. And in all of those places I have done what everybody, everywhere, does. I have eaten. I’ve eaten everything from beluga caviar in New York City to skewered lamb’s liver in Afghanistan. I’ve experienced hospitality in the most unlikely of places and broken bread where bread was considered a precious commodity. As a result of my travels (and love of food) I’ve come to realize that one of the best reflections of a culture is what, and how, they eat.

When Marshall McLuhan first posed the idea of the global village, the communications boom was still in its infancy. Now, more than thirty years later, we have almost fully realized the impact of McLuhan's prediction. Satellite-based communications and the internet place far flung lands at our fingertips. In less than twenty four hours you can touch down on the opposite side of the earth.

Fortunately, the staggering monotony that might exist in a world made smaller in this way has been kept to a minimum. There are still places that remain uncorrupted by McDonald's, places that are not drowning in sea of Coke and Budweiser, washed clean of tradition and any indigenous flavor.

There are still places where English isn't spoken, and the sound of it is as alien to the people who live there as ancient Sanskrit would be to us. There are still places where one's mere presence will turn heads and start hushed conversations about who the oddly dressed stranger is that's strolling through the local market.

Now, there's nothing wrong with McDonald's, Coke, Budweiser, Levi's jeans, or any of a hundred other products that seem to symbolize "American" culture around the world. They do symbolize American culture (at least in part.) But that's just it. They're a part of American culture. I knew someone who had the opportunity to go to Japan. When he got back to the states I asked him how the food was, especially the sushi. He told me that he and his family ate at a McDonald’s in Tokyo for every meal. What a shame! He had an opportunity and he wasted it.

When I’m stuck stateside between travels, ethnic dining is a fantastic way to travel to another land, whether it’s to a place you’ve been before or a place you’ve never been. I have yet to go to Ethiopia, but a serving of Doro Wat can transport me to the east coast of Africa, if only for a little while. A good bowl of seafood chowder can take me back to Nova Scotia and a little place called Peggy’s Cove.

The world is an interesting place. It's not always pretty. It's not always safe. But it's definitely interesting. I welcome you to EthnoFoodie, and invite you to join me on a journey of adventure and discovery. Oh yeah, and some really good food.