Part 3

I thought I would find a totally unique experience at Shawarma King. I expected there to be a specific atmosphere—maybe some art work involving a camel and desert sands. There were decorations that fell under this expectation like the woven pieces of fabric on the walls; one of them included a camel! But on the walls there was also a Western Broncos flag and T-shirts advertising the restaurant. The atmosphere was a Lebanese-American mixture. I didn’t think that the owners had attempted to re-create an experience but rather the atmosphere suggested that they brought pieces of Lebanon and added them to the casual American dining experience.

The market I viewed in the fictional city of Agrabah wasn’t in dissonance with my assumptions necessarily. Lebanese food is mostly constructed of relatively cheap ingredients put together in a specific way to create a satisfying dining experience. Pita, chick peas, herbs and spices are integral aspects of the cuisine. I could imagine these ingredients being picked up in a market on a street in Lebanon.

I knew that authenticity was a problematic idea even before reading “Culinary Tourism”. So when I ate at Shawarma King I wasn’t attempting to apply authenticity to my experience. However, I will say that from my view of the owners’ choice of food and place I felt that they presented an honest, or authentic if you must, sample of their culture. Especially compared to what I know of Zooroona, I was very pleased with Shawarma King’s unassuming presentation. While Zooroona purposefully puts forth an image of the middle-east I think Shawarma King puts forth an image that speaks to a certain transparency. Shawarma King clearly has a mix of east and west and it seems to be an intentional choice.

The food didn’t look “utterly foreign” as I expected it might. But it was made with ingredients I do not consume on a usual basis and they were arranged in way I would not have known before experiencing it for myself. My understanding of authenticity is inherently complicated because it’s a complicated notion.

What I heard while reading “Culinary Tourism” was that the way I had thought of authenticity before was as a static historical notion of a way something was before. Before what though and what about the unending and transformative march of time? If I can’t think of authenticity as an historical constant that can be re-created and experienced then I prefer not to think of it. I would rather speak in terms of honesty and transparency and perspectives than a mystical authenticity. And this is what I will take from this assignment and bring to future tourist experiences. When I am confronted with thinking about authenticity I plan on reframing the question. I am now more aware than ever that the only true perspective I can speak to is my own. I have to allow my synthesis to reflect this fact.