September 2006
Ethnic Eats
by Celia Cheng
One of the great things about living in New York City is the diversity of cultures that it represents. Daily, I encounter people of different ethnicities who speak foreign tongues, and I’m not just talking about tourists. This is one of the many reasons I love living here: I get exposure to a variety of cultures and lifestyles, and most important, I can taste foods from all over the globe in my town — though sometimes I may have to travel a longer distance, which I really don’t mind.
Having recently received some constructive criticism that Cravings only covers chefs and restaurants that are already established (which is not entirely true), I thought I would redeem myself by sharing some lesser-known establishments that I equally enjoy and appreciate. After all, the Cravings lifestyle is not just about fine dining but more about worthwhile dining. My goal is to keep learning and exploring, to keep an open mind and to get some insight into other cultures through their culinary lexicon.
September is cut short for me, as I am about to go on a ten-day trip to Vienna then Turkey, so I thought I would do a brief feature on some of the different ethnic restaurants I’ve been trying in the past month. I know that six eateries is a very small sample to call an ethnically diverse feature, but as always, this is just an introduction that will hopefully inspire others to embark on adventures of their own.
So go on out and explore the town! There’s so much to try and to be eaten. Though I am not traveling abroad as much as I’d like to, I consider myself pretty lucky that I have access to endless options in the City. Let’s traverse the world through the gateway of food!
