Victor Sack wrote:

> Tuscan city says 'basta' to ethnic food
>
> By ARIEL DAVID
>
> Associated Press
>
> ROME (AP) - If you are craving a kebab, tandoori chicken or Peking
> duck you may go hungry in the small Tuscan city of Lucca, which has
> just barred new ethnic restaurants from opening in its historic
> medieval center.
>
> Officials say new rules passed last week by Lucca's conservative
> administration aim to protect local specialties from the rising
> popularity of "different" cuisines. The measure also bans fast food
> restaurants and hopes to reduce littering within the city's ancient
> walls, a magnet for tourists.
>
> "By ethnic cuisine we mean a different cuisine," city spokesman
> Massimo Di Grazia said Thursday. "That means no new kebabs, Thai or
> Lebanese restaurants."
>
> Di Grazia said ethnic restaurants opened before the measure was passed
> could stay in business.
>
> The move has sparked accusations of gastronomic racism from opposition
> politicians and criticism from Italian chefs, who say modern cuisine
> relies on fusion, the combination of ingredients used in different
> food traditions.
>
> "It's a discriminatory ban," center-left councilman Alessandro
> Tambellini told the Corriere della Sera daily. "It's a sign of closure
> toward different cultures."
>
> "There is no dish on the face of the Earth that doesn't come from
> mixing techniques, products and tastes from cultures that have met
> and mingled over time," said Vittorio Castellani, a TV chef and
> cookbook author.
>
> Castellani told Corriere the ban was also a blow to immigrant
> communities, whose members often make a living by selling ethnic food.
>
> Downtown Lucca, 40 miles (70 kilometers) west of Florence, is a
> popular destination for thousands of visitors, who roam its intact
> walls, medieval churches and Renaissance palaces.
>
> Di Grazia, noting that other nearby towns had passed similar rules,
> told The Associated Press the measure was not discriminatory. He said
> it aimed to improve the city's image and protect Tuscan products,
> like wine and oil, as well as Lucca's cuisine, rich in soups, meat
> and pasta dishes.
>
> It remained unclear how "different" a restaurant's menu would have to
> be to fall under the culinary ban.
>
> Di Grazia said a French restaurant would be allowed to open, but he
> was not sure about a restaurant offering Sicilian dishes, which often
> include Middle Eastern ingredients.
>
> AP Writer Valerio Penna contributed to this report.

So, of course, they're going to ban new restaurants which offer such
foreign innovations as tomatoes and peppers.

--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
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