Prioritize Authenticity
When we visited the Union Market in DC last December 2018, we found ourselves exploring the older market buildings and warehouses around the neighborhood which have not been renovated yet. Sadly, we felt that the authenticity of these old warehouses was not retained in the restored Union Market.
Union Market DC neighborhood
Traditional style produce market
UNION MARKET DC NEIGHBORHOOD
Cleaned up version of fresh produce market
INSIDE UNION MARKET DC
TRADITIONAL Meat and seafood store
UNION MARKET DC NEIGHBORHOOD
MODERN Meat store
inside UNION MARKET DC
Comparing our experience at the Boqueria, the Reading Terminal Market, and in Granville versus our experience at the Union Market DC (which we visited last December 2018), we felt that the older food halls were more successful in ensuring their authenticity and maintaining the market culture of their communities.
In 1987, Jacobs and Appleyard wrote “Toward an Urban Design Manifesto,” which listed authenticity as one of the targeted values for city life [5]. In the use of food experience for increasing tourism, authenticity was one of the critical elements which visitors look for [1, 2, 11]. Authenticity in food markets does not only help bring in the visitors. It also helps define and sustain the culture of the community [1, 2, 11].
Similar to diversity, authenticity in a food experience has multiple dimensions. Examples of authenticity in a food hall or food market include: (1) the use of renovated historical structures to house the food hall; (2) a location which is within the historical part of the city; (3) the retention of traditional stalls and vendors; (4) the offering of food and produce which are part of the traditional cuisine of the area; and (5) the sale of items which are made by locals or are produced within a nearby geographic area [1-3].
“Other factors driving consumer interest in food markets is the desire for trust and knowledge in the foods they consume. Consumers crave connection to vendors who produce the food they eat and that personal connection builds trust. 67% said they trust vendors at the farmers market because they see who grew and handled the food. Consumers find that talking to farmers and artisan producers is a first-hand way to learn about foods they buy. 67% of consumers surveyed said they loved learning about new foods by shopping around markets while 63% agreed that they love talking to vendors who are passionate about the foods they sell.”
— Culinary Visions Panel
Food Market Culture Report 2017 [4]
Redevelopment of Historic Buildings
In planning for a food hall or food market, a community must look at opportunities by which it can redevelop or enhance its historic buildings. These buildings include those which have been used as markets in the past.
Most of the famous and successful food halls repurposed and renovated old markets and other types of buildings in their communities. In Northern America, these include the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, the San Francisco Ferry Terminal Building, the Granville Market in Vancouver, and the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles. In Europe, these include the Boqueria Market in Barcelona and the Boroughs Market in London.
HISTORICAL BUILDINGS REDEVELOPED INTO FOOD HALLS
ALL AROUND THE WORLD
In the Reading Terminal Market, Anderson pointed out that part of the authenticity comes from the fact that there are no stores which are part of a national franchise, unlike the traditional food courts in a mall setting. Boqueria Market’s authenticity, in particular, comes from multiple dimensions, including: (1) the antiquity and history of the structure itself; (2) the continued presence of traditional stalls which provide residents with fresh meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits; (3) the market’s policy on locally sourced goods; and the (4) various lunch counters scattered around the market which offer local cuisine [1, 2].
“As a matter of policy, he (Jordi Torrades, Director of the Institut) explains, they favour family businesses. Many stalls are owned by the third or fourth generation, and traders are discouraged from forming “chains” by trading in more than one market location. “One butcher’s stall, a young woman, [represents] the second generation of her family business.”
— Barcelona’s Market Força, Financial Times [7]
Boqueria Market, Barcelona
Beautiful market façade with architectural detail
Historic Preservation
In the United States, there are funding and support programs to help in the historic preservation of significant structures such as old markets [8].
For example, the Findlay Market in Cincinnati, Ohio qualified for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The Over-the-Rhine neighborhood surrounding the market was included in 1983 [6].
“The market opened in 1855 and has occupied the same space since then. Local businesses thrive there, and the space serves as a catalyst for both new and established vendors in the city. The market house retains its original wrought iron framework form although the structure has been updated and enclosed for modern use. The shops that line the streets outside the market retain their historic facades, colorful awnings, and spaces for outdoor vendors”
— American Planning Association (APA)
Great Places in America: Public Spaces (Findlay Market, Cincinnati, Ohio) [6]
Food Authenticity
A recent Culinary Visions study found that 79% of consumers think it’s important that a restaurant’s ethnic food be authentic [4]. While there is no universally accepted set of criteria for authenticity, food that tells a story will satisfy consumers’ cravings for a genuine culinary adventure. Providing information as simple as an ingredient’s geographical origin, traditional uses or cultural relevancy can go a long way in enhancing the authenticity of food.
“The Quest for World Flavors
Consumers are expanding their appetites to encompass global flavors and international ingredients. Embarking on a deeper exploration of Latin American, Asian and Mediterranean foods means using food ingredients and flavor profiles from Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Korea, Philippines, and Morocco. Flavors that were once considered exotic are now being sold in dry and paste formats optimal for high volume kitchens.”
— 2017 Food Market Culture Report
Culinary Visions Panel [4]
GLOBAL FLAVORS AND INTERNATIONAL INGREDIENTS
FOOD HALLS AROUND THE WORLD
Challenges in Authenticity
The Cushman & Wakefield report pointed out that authenticity is both the biggest attraction and the biggest challenge in planning and operating food halls [3]. In implementing Creative Placemaking, the National Endowment for the Arts report acknowledged the real challenge of maintaining local authenticity while implementing creative efforts to increase economic development [9]. Practices guiding authenticity are also linked to sustainable tourism. Principles of sustainable tourism include recognizing that the host community is important and that the economic return of tourism must be for their benefit [10]. It also espouses tourists to respect staff and behave responsibly [10]. Sustainable tourism also includes practices which respect the environment and slows down the speed of development [10].
In ensuring authenticity in food halls, we need to be intimately connected with the needs and lifestyle of the community that we are planning it for. This is probably our best bet towards making the food hall experience as authentic as possible.
Sources:
Montserrat Crespi-Vallbona and Darko Dimitrovski, 'Food Market Visitors: A Typology Proposal', British Food Journal, 118 (2016), 840.
———, 'Urban Food Markets in the Context of a Tourist Attraction: La Boqueria Market in Barcelona Spain', Tourism Geographies, 20 (2018), 397-417.
'Food Halls of North America', (Cushman & Wakefield, 2018).
'Food Market Culture Report', (Culinary Visions Panel 2017).
Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre, How to Study Public Life (Washington, DC, Island Press, 2013).
'Great Places in America, Public Spaces Category: Findlay Market, Cincinnati, Ohio', American Planning Association, (2016) <https://www.planning.org/greatplaces/spaces/2016/findlaymarket/>.
Tim Hayward, 'Barcelona's Market Forca', in Financial Times (London, United Kingdom, 2015).
'Historic Preservation', National Park Service <https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/index.htm>.
'How to Do Creative Placemaking', ed. by Jason Ball and Don Schupback (Washington, DC, National Endowment for the Arts, 2016).
Rosario Scarpato, 'Sustainable Gastronomy as a Tourist Product', in Tourism and Gastronomy, ed. by Anne-Mette Hjalager and Greg Richards (London and New York, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2002).
Lin Yi-Chin, E. Pearson Thomas, and A. Cai Liping, 'Food as a Form of Destination Identity: A Tourism Destination Brand Perspective', Tourism and Hospitality Research, 11 (2011), 30.