What do you guys think about a reviewer noting that all the people in an "ethnic" restaurant appear to be of that ethnicity, or are speaking the language or whatever? For instance, just ate in a Japanese place where the clientele appeared to be 90% Japanese. Can I mention it?
yeah you can mention it but it's kinda clichE for food reviews.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fine to mention it, but I'd ask how sure you are that the people were Japanese? Did you ask around?
ReplyDeleteAlso, just because there's a lot of Japanese people at a Japanese restaurant doesn't automatically mean the joint is good or authentic or what not. I mean, Denny's is full of Americans, but it's not what you'd call a great American restaurant.
-biz
I would vote it only matters if they're actually speaking the language or if they have an accent that suggests they know what the authentic shit tastes like.
ReplyDeleteMeg
I would be sure to hedge by saying that they appeared to be Japanese American or some such. I often comment on the typical clientele, so this doesn't seem different to me than saying it's tatted up bros or whatever. But I may just skip it. There are probably a lot of Japanese in Davis and there aren't that many Japanese restaurants, anyway, although way more at this place than Mikuni, I can tell you that.
ReplyDeleteI was just struck yesterday because it was like a 90% ratio, assuming they were all Japanese.
It's truly remarkable to find any place in Sacto with a 9-to-1 Japanese-people-to-other-people ratio, so surely it's worth mentioning. I've often said that when it comes to any kinda food, I like to "eat where they eat". Even when people fully understand and agree with that reasoning, they can have an adverse reaction to the use of a relative pronoun to describe an entire race or ethnicity. Taking it a step further....You might recall that when Ross Perot addressed the NAACP in 1992, he got a big reaction when he said "you people". So, just stay clear of using pronouns, and I think you'll be in safe territory.
ReplyDeleteWill you note if 9 out of 10 people eating at La Trattoria Bohemia are white?
ReplyDeleteIf that place isn't 10-outta-10, it's probably noteworthy.
ReplyDeleteSee AP Stylebook, page pg 32.
ReplyDeleteIf I could tell that 9 out of 10 people in Trattoria were Czech, then absolutely I would mention it. Let's not pretend that you can't tell what race people are sometimes. That's silly.
ReplyDeleteflip a coin/ i always thought an exercise companion was japanese american - first name allan until today i heard him speaking cantonese to a friend. i recognize japanese as i have failed to learn it reapeately.
ReplyDelete