"Dan Goodman" > wrote in message
ouse.com...
> 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.
>

I've been to Lucca. Good for them.