The More Tuscan The Better
Living in a bloggy vacuum, I find it hard to believe that internet reviews
and being "the latest 'in' place" scored 1% and 0%, respectively, in
a global Nielsen survey of criteria diners consider when choosing a restaurant.
Are we the only victims of Yelp and Minetta Tavern?
The number one factor was type of cuisine at 33%, and that's sensible. What
I was kind of surprised by is that after the "cuisine of my own
country/local area," the top two were Italian and Chinese tied at 14%. I
figured those were just American favorites. I guess one takeaway is that the
world loves noodles whether sauced with marinara or as the basis of lo mein.
Showing how slowly trends spread across the globe, Spanish cuisine, heralded for the last decade in foodie circles, scores dead last.
Seeing how most Americans (and I do feel it's an American phenomena) think
Spanish and Mexican food is the same thing (as opposed to New Yorkers who call
anything Caribbean Spanish—ain't no mofongo in Madrid…um, at least I don't
think, I'll check next week when I'm there and could be eating my words) I'm
not shocked that Iberian fare has an image problem.
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