Dining Out In Prescott

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Someone asked me why I haven't written about any of the places that I eat at when I'm in AZ. I guess I do write about food a lot. My reasoning has always been that the majority of my readers are from the US, so I don't think what I eat when I'm there is particularly interesting to read about. I eat fabulous meals on a regular basis. But writing about it doesn't introduce anyone to anything culturally new.

Then I started thinking. This, in and of itself, is culturally interesting. Allow me to explain.

In China, where I live, one of the biggest gripes foreigners have is what we feel is a lack of diversity of food. Nationals will proudly tell us that China has a wide variety of food. In a sense, they're right. People in the north eat noodles and bread, while people in the south eat rice. Sichuan and Hunan provinces are known for their spicy food and Guangdong province has more subtle flavors. Each of my students can tell me about a special dish that their hometown is "famous" for. The Chinese love their food. They love to talk about how fresh it is, how flavorful it is, and how one dish or another is special. To them, there is nothing better than Chinese food.

To most westerners, it's all just Chinese food. Yes, there are restaurants with food from other parts of the world, but the prices are easily three to four times more expensive than what I'd pay for Chinese food. For me, Chinese food is local, inexpensive food. Sufficed to say, eating food that isn't Chinese is a pretty big deal to me.

I think that's because in most US cities (and certainly cities in other western countries), we're used to having a wider variety of choices. In the US, we don't just have Californian cuisine, southern soul food, and midwestern casseroles. We also have food from all over the world in every major city. In large cities, there's always numerous Japanese, Mexican, and Indian restaurants. We choose our favorites and argue about which is most authentic. Some are authentic, some are Americanized, and most are pretty delicious.

To put this in perspective, Hong Kong, with its plethora of dining options from all over the world, only has two Mexican restaurants that I know of. Hong Kong has eight million people. Not quite the ratio I'm used to.

Now, on the other hand, take Prescott, AZ. It's a town of about thirty thousand people. But it has a surprisingly large range of eating options.

One night my parents took me and Minerva out for pretty good Thai food. The soup I ate took me back to time I've spent in Bangkok. All I was missing was the really hot weather and an cold beer.

Even though there are numerous Mexican restaurants, we always go back to the same one becuase we love their food so much. It's bright, colorful, and there's a huge seafood section on the menu. That's not something I'd expect to find in the desert. Their portions are so huge I always get lunch the next day--that's not something I do much anymore!

There's quite a few southwestern restaurants, too. One of my favorites is in an old railroad depot. It's a tiny little place, but they've kept the feel of its structure (creaky floors, sloping ceilings, small rooms) while brightening it up with the friendliest wait staff I've ever encountered. Minerva is still talking about her salmon quesadillas. Imagine if people waiting for the train all those years ago had been able to eat good food while they waited!

There's a new Italian restaurant that has the feel of a place that knows what they're doing and you know they didn't just heat something up in the back. Just up the road is another, smaller Italian restuarant that just feels cozy.

There's also a Mediterranean restaurant. They used to advertise that they were the best "European food" place in town. I always wondered what that meant, since "European food" doesn't really mean anything to me. I'd always wanted to try it, so when our neighbor invited me out for lunch, I jumped at the chance. It's her favorite place to eat, and I can completely understand why. The food was wonderful.

My parents, neighbors, and I all went out for Indian food one night and tried to order as many different things from the menu as we could fit on the table. I tried to explain as much of the menu as I could, but after three years, my memories of what each Indian food is are fading. We ate it while watching Bollywood dance videos. (I suspect I watched them more than anyone else since I have a weakness for Bollywood films.)

And, of course, there is a Chinese restaurant. It's American Chinese food. And that's what I love about it. I still remember feeling disappointed when I realized that sweet and sour anything isn't real Chinese food. Sufficed to say, I always get my fix of it, eggrolls, and cream cheese wontons when I visit.

Add to all of this a multitude of independent coffeeshops, bars, a few brew pubs, and non-chain pizza restaruants, and the ratio of great places to eat and relax skyrockets. Having a wide variety of cuisines is becoming the norm from big cities to smaller towns, and Prescott delivers. Is it any wonder that when I visit Prescott I come with an appetite and leave with my clothes fitting a little tight?

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Comments

[ElyseandPete]

Food
MMMM...cream cheese wontons can't find those in China.

[Jessica]

I love reading your entries. They are so well written, taking the words & thoughts right out of my mouth, that I find hard to express. My bf & I went to China, and trying to explain the cultural differences was a hard task, and getting any older Chinese person to take anything from our point of view was almost impossible.

[sunketing]

Thanks!
Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's always great to get feedback and it's really nice to hear when others have had similar experiences. (It's also fun to hear about the opposite, though that seems to happen less.)