My Experiences at Queen Victoria Farmers Market in Melbourne - Essay Example

Gastronomy as Tourism Product Student Name: University: Subject: Instructor: October 26Th, 2013. Table of Contents 1.0. Introduction 3 2.0. Visit Experiences 4 i. Amphawa Floating Market in Thailand 4 ii. My Experiences at Queen Victoria Farmers Market in Melbourne 6 i. Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne 7 ii. Fresh fruits and vegetables 7 iii. General Merchandise Stores 8 iv. Organics Stores 8 v. Food Court at Queen Victoria Farm Market 8 3.0. Conclusion 8 4.0. References 10 Gastronomy as a Tourism Product 1.0. Introduction Food is now being used as a means of forging and aligning cultural identities, basically since what we eat forms the basic aspects of our culture. The growth of states and nations has been paralleled by the development of diverse national cuisines (Goeldner & Ritchies, 2006). Their influence has to a greater extent reflected in the vigour of national cultures, such as the French haute cuisines. Gastronomy is basically defined as the art of preparing, serving, selecting and enjoying fine food. Although initially, gastronomy was basically mean for the nobility class, the concept has over the time revolutionized to incorporate peasant food as well, typically local, regional and national foods, comprising of a wide spectrum of foods. This paper explores the means through which gastronomy can be understood better as a tourism product (Kivela & Crotts, 2006). Given the a strong interlinks existing between food and identity, (Hegarty & O’Mahony, 1999)belives no wonder that food has grown to be a major place marker in the promotion of tourism, one of the key reasons for this strong interconnection between certain types of food and certain localities, is the notion that there exists a natural relationship between a geographical area, its climatic conditions, and the general food type produced, it is this geographical diversity distinctness which offers the regional uniqueness in culinary traditions and the evolution of a characteristic cultural heritage. (Scarpato, 2002), assert that, interconnection between region and gastronomy has been used in various ways in tourism, including the marketing and promotional efforts based on the unique or “typical” national or regional foods. Foods as can be used as a tool for directing and guiding tourists within regions or countries (Shenoy, 2005). Gastronomy has grown considerably over the ages, and there are various research studies that have been carried out on the growth of gastronomic styles and tastes over time. For instance Hall (2003) points out that development of gastronomy in England and France started in the medieval times. This report however, explores ways through which gastronomy can be understood as a tourism product utilizing an example of Wholesale market excursion (i.e. Amphawa Floating Market in Thailand) and a farmers market (i.e. Queen Victoria Farmers Market in Melbourne) personal visit experiences. 2.0. Visit Experiences i. Amphawa Floating Market in Thailand Before early this year, I had never visited Thailand, partly because people I knew and who went to Bangkok, kept telling me about many things they bought in shopping malls, but I wanted to learn more about the country, particularly the indigenous Thai food. This year I travelled twice, and I was lucky to find this tour guide, a Singaporean who had lived in Bangkok for twenty years. The first trip my guide took me to sample the trail of Thai street food in Don kai Benjarong Village, which left me yearning to come back. So when I came back to Bangkok, my aim was to find good eating places, so i asked my guide to “places where must go”. From what I leant, Thai food recipes emerged during the reign of Field Marshal P.Pibulsongkram when he started campaigning for the Thai people to “enjoy Thai food, use Thai products”. Although I paid visit to other floating markets, Amphawa Floating was the best all perhaps due to the fact that unlike others this one does not start operations until later afternoon, thus great news to the late risers. The place is Bangkok’s Chinatown, home to the world’s most tangy culinary experiences. Although in order to sample this sumptuous recipes one has to endure one hour of bumper-to- bumper taxi ride, across a series of flyovers, the experiences is worth more than that. Finally we arrive and the guide orders omelette, which finally arrives with a finger bowl pepper sauce, interestingly, the sauce sweet. Half a dozen other dishes are on sale but majority of westerners are fond of omelettes. Tourism is so big in Thailand and floating markets and food store have not be left behind. First of all, to access these floating shops, one has to use a long tail boat whose is an experience by itself. For the two of us we hired one for 1,600 Thailand Baht. The ride was thrilling and sometimes nerve racking due to the rough overcast and windy from Bangkok and Penang, along the Chao Phraya River. After a sharp narrow bend, the coxswain announced “floating market” and pointing towards traders in front of us. In these floating markets, there are hundreds of tourists and boats docked alongside the makeshift jetty to allow the tourists to embark. It is like a Hollywood film cast only that it is happening for real. There are platforms set aside where vendor have arranged their merchandise and tourist can sit and eat. We arrived at the canal at 4.00 P.M. I was not expecting a lot since I had earlier been informed that the market starts late. However as we strolled alongside the canal, it was a bee- hive of activities as vendors arrange their food stuffs along the river bank, as others were wheeling the carts into strategic positions. From far we spotted a lady rowing along the canal, guessing from the ingredients in her long tail boat, we knew she would prepare Thai pad for us. By this time I admit, I feeling hungry, so we signalled to her and she padded into our direction. We were in fact right. We rested alongside the banks while she prepared us some sumptuous pad Thai. Since the river bank is high up, the vendors have installed some pulley systems to hoist up the foot to the eagerly awaiting customers above. Very ingenious! There were boats selling grilled meat, seafood, noodle soup, satay, and “som Tam” (green papaya salad) the place looked rustic and authentic without necessary making it exotic and modern. The wooden resting platform gave an extension where more stalls could be installed dealing with diverse kinds of Thai street food and drinks, and fresh fruits. For 50 Thailand Baht, I bought what I initially thought to be palm sugar only for the trader to correct me by telling me it’s a “coconut sugar”. This Thai floating market with boats vendors floating along the canal offers an authentic platform for serving indigenous food to early market goers and tourists along and within the canal. Nevertheless, the Thai version of the floating market still makes a great experience for majority or tourists. ii. My Experiences at Queen Victoria Farmers Market in Melbourne My visit to Queen Victoria farmers market revealed to me what a farmers market entails and its contribution to the art of tourism. Basically a farm market is a place set aside for the physical retail selling of foods directly from farmers to the market. During this trip I leant that Queen Victoria market forms part of the Melbourne City culture and history having in operation since the late 19th Century. In fact from what I learned, Queen victoria is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and also the only place boasting of the world charm when it comes to fresh produce, gifts, souvenirs and lots more. In order to fully describe my experience at the Queen Victoria it is crucial first to describe the market precincts of the farm market. Queen Victoria Farm Market is divided into a number of market precincts, with each of them dedicated to serve a number of different shoppers. These market precincts are: i. Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne This section was mainly concerned with the fresh produce from the adjacent agricultural land. From my visit experiences in this section, I realised that agricultural functions in its most literal sense of hands on and down to earth experiences. Similarly to other ecotourism products, it is small scale tourism that has a limited market appeal. The open- air market forms the center of trade and commerce, thereby attracting a whole lot of tourists. I realized Vic Market as it is popular referred to, is the best early bird destination during weekdays and weekends- which one can barter for; as well as the availability of the best souvenirs all within a convenient location within the city center. The fresh cheese, fish and meat were amazingly priced and also created a great atmosphere thereby becoming the best attractions in Melbourne. Moreover, the international food stalls and cafes are great to try out with their great prices. ii. Fresh fruits and vegetables When I arrived at this section, I realized how the people of Melbourne rave about the vegetables and fruits for one great reason- they always find fresh and exotic Asian and Australian fresh fruits and vegetables under one roof. iii. General Merchandise Stores The F Shed lane and the general Merchandise stalls offers other unique products for the tourists such as the Australian Artifacts and Souvenirs. iv. Organics Stores It is in this section that I sampled the true task of locally produced mushrooms. Also referred to as the I shed, the organics precincts gives the shoppers and visitors some of the finest organic products that Melbourne has in store. I actually realized that these fruits have been duly certified to deal with the organic products such as cheese, bread, and coffee. Quite a relieve for some of us who are anti- genetic foods. v. Food Court at Queen Victoria Farm Market Can you think of this, glass canopies, heated food court, stall serving cuisines of all kinds? Basically there is nothing that can offer gastronomic delight and satisfaction to a tourist or shopper more than this. . Corporate events, bridal parties and family outings are some of the groups that I saw having out at the place. The above activities clearly demonstrate that the farm market is a great gastronomic tourism product. 3.0. Conclusion Every tourism entity seeks to offer the best for potential tourists than their competitors. It is through this gastronomic distinctiveness that each tourism venture can achieve a competitive edge, thus making tourists spend more. Floating market is a unique way of having vendors meet their clients in an unusual environment, where they not only get the food and drinks but also get to have some sightseeing, thus making their excursion memorable. On the other hand farm markets bring out the fun of shopping, thus making tourists achieve authentity products under one roof. If gastronomy is connected to specific regions and countries, then it becomes a powerful tool for marketing tourism. Authenticity is a key aspect of tourism consumption, thus looking out for unique and ‘authentic’ local and regional products can be a motive one visiting a particular destination. Most countries around the globe have started to realize the importance of using gastronomy to market their tourism industry. For instance the slogan a “A Taste of Scotland” and “A taste of wales”, which market local cuisines that are either Scottish traditionally or are produced using local produce from Scotland. The growth and development of the tradition and cultural practices coupled with inherent ingenuity (the case of floating venders) means that gastronomy concepts and thus tourism have begun embracing cultural practices. 4.0. References Goeldner, C. R., & Ritchies, B. J. (2006). Tourism: principles, practices and philosophies. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hall, C. (2003). Introduction to tourism dimensions and issues (4th Ed.). Sydney: Hospitality Press. Hegarty, J., & O’Mahony, G. (1999). Gastronomy: A phenomenon of cultural expressionism and aesthetic for living. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, , 11 (4),. Kivela, J., & Crotts, R. (2006). Tourism and gastronomy: gastronomy’s influence on how tourists experience a destination. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism,, 3 (30),. Scarpato, R. (2002). Gastronomy as a tourist product: The perspective of gastronomy studies. London: Routledge.: Routledge. Shenoy, S. (2005). Food tourism and the culinary tourist. Published PhD thesis: Clemson University. Read More