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| Mirrored Hall, Jaipur. Drawing (2012) from photograph (2011), both by Lucey Bowen. |
The late 18th Century philosopher, Jeremy Bentham conceived of a building which allowed a central observer to view the activity of everyone in its periphery, whether they knew it or not. Bentham intended this as a way of "obtaining the power of mind over mind," useful in prisons, hospitals, schools, poorhouses and madhouses.
Perusing the span of 1991 Gourmet travel articles, I ponder New York as the center, monitoring activity from Jaipur, India; Bangkok, Thailand; Bali, Indonesia; Taipei, Taiwan; and Macau on the Chinese mainland. Gourmet's writers treated these places in distinctive styles, dictated in part by the history of each place and its relative difference from the reader's mode of life. Jaipur was much the product of its Singh rulers, one of whom had the city walls all painted pink in 1876 to celebrate the arrival of Britain's future Edward VII. Bangkok was perceived and presented in visual terms. The Balinese people starred in the article about this Hindu island surrounded by Muslims. In Macau, not yet returned to China, the exploration was to discover the elements of Portuguese culture that persist in a predominantly Chinese city. Writing about Taipei, Fred Ferretti focused on the food of restaurants found in the grand hotels, occasionally alluding to the history of the island. Taipei of the time was a fully developed, urbane, international city of business, not unlike parts of Los Angeles. Surely places are represented in ways not all their residents would choose or recognize.
There are questions of representation of Asia in writing about the restaurants of New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles reviewed in Gourmet's 1991 issues. Is the reviewer visiting a place primarily intended to serve the ethnic immigrant? In the early 1990s Chinatowns in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles swelled with former Hong Kong residents, unsure of the outcome of the anticipated 1997 transfer to the People's Republic of China. This was a group distinct from earlier ones in class and cuisine, and their restaurants were different as well. Some, like Flower Lounge, were and are comfortable for Chinese customers eating as families. Non-Chinese customers may feel a bit out of place. Other restaurants followed the Japanese trend and emulated French techniques for Chinese ingrediants, restrained decor and white table cloths, like Yujean Kang's in Pasadena. The former represents perhaps the conservative side of immigrant's tastes; the latter an individual chef playing creatively with great traditions of cooking. Ours is, after all, a free country, even if the food isn't.
Alas for the restaurants of yesteryear; some remain:
New York:
Kwong and Wong at 11 Division Street is now Fuleen Seafood Restaurant.
First Taste at 53 Bayard Street is now Three Oceans Restaurant.
Haveli at 100 Second Avenue is still Haveli.
Jewel of India at 15 West 44th Street is still Jewel of India, at least for take-out.
San Francisco:
Flower Lounge Restaurant in Millbrae and 5322 Geary Boulevard is Hong Kong Lounge.
Angkor Palace at 1769 Lombard Street is now The Grateful Dog.
O Chamé 1830 Fourth Street, Berkeley is still O Chamé
Los Angeles:
Yujean Kang's at 67 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena is still Yujean Kang's.
Bombay Cafe at 12113 Santa Monica Boulevard is now All India Cafe.
There are questions of representation of Asia in writing about the restaurants of New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles reviewed in Gourmet's 1991 issues. Is the reviewer visiting a place primarily intended to serve the ethnic immigrant? In the early 1990s Chinatowns in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles swelled with former Hong Kong residents, unsure of the outcome of the anticipated 1997 transfer to the People's Republic of China. This was a group distinct from earlier ones in class and cuisine, and their restaurants were different as well. Some, like Flower Lounge, were and are comfortable for Chinese customers eating as families. Non-Chinese customers may feel a bit out of place. Other restaurants followed the Japanese trend and emulated French techniques for Chinese ingrediants, restrained decor and white table cloths, like Yujean Kang's in Pasadena. The former represents perhaps the conservative side of immigrant's tastes; the latter an individual chef playing creatively with great traditions of cooking. Ours is, after all, a free country, even if the food isn't.
Alas for the restaurants of yesteryear; some remain:
New York:
Kwong and Wong at 11 Division Street is now Fuleen Seafood Restaurant.
First Taste at 53 Bayard Street is now Three Oceans Restaurant.
Haveli at 100 Second Avenue is still Haveli.
Jewel of India at 15 West 44th Street is still Jewel of India, at least for take-out.
San Francisco:
Flower Lounge Restaurant in Millbrae and 5322 Geary Boulevard is Hong Kong Lounge.
Angkor Palace at 1769 Lombard Street is now The Grateful Dog.
O Chamé 1830 Fourth Street, Berkeley is still O Chamé
Los Angeles:
Yujean Kang's at 67 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena is still Yujean Kang's.
Bombay Cafe at 12113 Santa Monica Boulevard is now All India Cafe.
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