About this Site
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Papayas at a West Indian market, Classon Ave., Brooklyn"]
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When I moved to New York in December 2006, I wanted to figure out the best way to get to know the city and its people. To an outsider, this city and its five boroughs seems enormous. But New York City is just one big city made up of tiny neighborhoods, a puzzle of cultures and peoples fitting together and overlapping.
At the heart of the city's reputation as a melting pot are its ethnic enclaves. These groups of people have brought with them their native cuisines, produce, and traditions. In their neighborhoods, they have established their own markets where they can import, cook and sell the foods of their countries.
In kitchens all over the city, grandmothers, mothers and community leaders are teaching their children about their identity through passing along their recipes, cooking techniques and beliefs about eating. And through those kitchens, they are constantly creating the identity and personality of the city.
My hope is for this site to teach people all over the country not just about NYC, but about specific cultures and their foods. You'll be able to take the recipes and stories from this site and share these meals with your families and friends. After getting to know my city, I hope you get out into your city and explore what may be hiding in terms of other types of cuisines and cultures.
If New York City is what it eats, then you can't get to know it any better way than in these ethnic neighborhoods and kitchens. This website shows New York City through the eyes of its residents and how they cook.
For more detailed information on what to expect on this website, please read the first post. Thanks so much for joining me here.
~ Emily
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When I moved to New York in December 2006, I wanted to figure out the best way to get to know the city and its people. To an outsider, this city and its five boroughs seems enormous. But New York City is just one big city made up of tiny neighborhoods, a puzzle of cultures and peoples fitting together and overlapping.
At the heart of the city's reputation as a melting pot are its ethnic enclaves. These groups of people have brought with them their native cuisines, produce, and traditions. In their neighborhoods, they have established their own markets where they can import, cook and sell the foods of their countries.
In kitchens all over the city, grandmothers, mothers and community leaders are teaching their children about their identity through passing along their recipes, cooking techniques and beliefs about eating. And through those kitchens, they are constantly creating the identity and personality of the city.
My hope is for this site to teach people all over the country not just about NYC, but about specific cultures and their foods. You'll be able to take the recipes and stories from this site and share these meals with your families and friends. After getting to know my city, I hope you get out into your city and explore what may be hiding in terms of other types of cuisines and cultures.
If New York City is what it eats, then you can't get to know it any better way than in these ethnic neighborhoods and kitchens. This website shows New York City through the eyes of its residents and how they cook.
For more detailed information on what to expect on this website, please read the first post. Thanks so much for joining me here.
~ Emily 
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