Observation 1: The most popular dish, apart from the crab cakes, was the roast duck. This could be because the meal is particularly tasty or it could be that due to the proximity of the tables within each of the small dining rooms every patron hears the other ordering the same dish. Popularity in any circumstance is often the aftereffect of word of mouth. “Everyone else is ordering that dish so it must be good” is a syndrome often repeated in modern society. The roast duck is a breed known as a Muscovy duck which is native to South and Central America. The corresponding popularity of the dish is similar to the T.C. Bestor article entitled How Sushi Went Global. As with sushi, the rare species of duck may be viewed as a delicacy to patrons…show more content… The description how the fish are caught and prepared as given by the wait staff lent a sense of validity and togetherness to the dish. Author M.L. Caldwell writes in the exert from his work, Domesticating the French Fry, that local ingredients often invoke a better response from patrons than those dishes that are made from frozen ingredients. Caldwell further explains regarding sentiments expressed by Russian citizens on local products when he states, “When buying commercial products, Muscovites claim to prefer domestically produced meats and dairy products over American and other products that are known to be filled with additives and preservatives” (Caldwell…show more content… After touring the park for a few hours or perhaps even the entire day many become hungry. The Dobbin House Tavern is centrally located within the national historical park and therefore absorbs all of the different visitors to the area. The restaurant therefore become a melting pot for various cultures and values. Author Yungxiang Yan describes the purpose of the nutritional anthropologist in the reading selection from Module 5 entitled Of Hamburger and Social Space, “While nutritional anthropologists emphasize the practical functions of foods and food ways in cultural settings, social and cultural anthropologists try to explore the links between food (and eating) and other dimensions of a given culture” (Yan
