The Boston Globe recently ran a long piece puzzling over why Boston isn’t regarded by anyone with common sense as a restaurant town.
The piece was prompted by Bon Appetit‘s article last month that named Portland, Maine–little Portland, Maine–as the, “restaurant city of the year.” This stripped bare the excuses made by local defenders: That NYC and Philadelphia, because of their big sizes, are an unfair comparison to Boston when it comes to food.
In fact, there are numerous reasons why dining out in Boston is a reflection of the city’s broader problems. Chief among them is, “the silo effect,” which typifies life in the city and its neighboring communities. The racial segregation of Boston noted by many black Americans extends to the food’s scene.
Have a look at this list of Boston magazine‘s 50 best restaurants of 2018:
White males: 32 restaurants listed
White females: 9 restaurants listed
Asian males: 4 listed
Asian females: 2 listed
Hispanic males: 1 listed
(One restaurant of the 50 has a while male and white female in charge.)
According to the U.S. census bureau, 53% of Boston is white, 25.4% is African American, 9.3% is Asian, and 19% is Hispanic.
Gender: 52% female, 48% male.
So when restaurants are acclaimed by one the city’s chief arbiters of dining and there is zero representation of African Americans, 2% Hispanic, and 30% female, it tells you a lot about why dining in Boston is so awful. There is great cooking going on throughout the city: But it’s being ignored by those in authoritative positions to effect change. Gee, wonder why?
