Justice
A New Perspective on 'Ethnic' Urban Restaurants
A recent book examines food and cuisine through the experiences of the people who produce it.
There are many factors that have led to the existence of Bread & Butter, a small storefront restaurant in lower Manhattan: immigration patterns, a pre-existing network of so-called “ethnic” restaurants, customers’ expectations and demands. Bread & Butter serves Indian and Pakistani food, but it also sells egg sandwiches and rice and bean dishes. Each meal costs about $6.
But for as long as restaurants like Bread & Butter have proliferated in cities across America, there has been a gap in the sociological discussion surrounding them, says Krishnendu Ray, a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. The owners’ voices haven’t been part of the cultural dialog.