I did about 6 tours now in Vietnam. Most by students, they dont have structure and they dont have the opportunity to mingle with other prof guides. They were simply given a chance to show tourist around to improve their english. Most of them are very passionate but content wise are so so. Several historical points, food etymology, or which cultural influences were not explained. Very personal touch though, sharing what they do on everyday basis.

The food tour yst was about exploring Famous Local Eateries which many chefs and culinary experts have visited before.

"Summer" is a head chef of a fine dining and turned tour guide to introduce her favourite local eateries. She have since took few "Masterchefs" all over the world on her tour.

Very structured, well researched and well planned.

Each stop was introduced with :

1) Passion Story - History of the Eatery (how long, by who, why)
2) Etymology - Origin of food item (if applicable) and what it means
3) Essence - Comparison with variations of it at diff states or why this stands out
4) Technicality - How to eat it and whats the ingredients inside.
5) Etiquette - When to eat, usually paired with what food or drinks, what superstitions or beliefs

5 stops, 12 dishes of food,
Value for money, and quality commentary

A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON FOOD

Food is a staple of life, but also a collective compilation of culture. From the Hunting and Gathering days, we have evolved into a complex series of sub-cultures when we look into Methodology, Taste Blends, Etiquette, Festivity, and more. We will be looking into a specific topic of Food in terms of Culinary Experience.

Culinary Experience, refers to when the chef intentionally take the patron into a wholesome journey to present a certain message through medium of Food.

Functionalist

Culture is shaped from Culinary Experiences.

While most of the time, there are some universal standards and taste to food items, it is also an opportunity of Dysfunction, whereby a Chef creates seemingly contrasting flavours, or savouring a certain dish at unusual timings.

Conflict

Eventually, Food creates Power Play too. Inevitably, yardsticks, competitions, ratings and reviews emerge as means of giving uniformity and structure to food. Some Culinary Experiences takes you to the best form of Food Handling or Preparation Skill; eg de-toxic-fying Pufferfish, Sea Urchin, or preserving the beating heart of an Eel, or the Michelin Ratings. Conflict perspectives also looks at how Humans exerts dominance for Culinary Experiences such as eating worms, dogs or monkey.

Symbolic Interactionist

Food presented in a certain personal way is a form of self expression. It may be an act to document a certain event or a certain someone. With this, some form of Culinary Experience evolves taking nostalgic taste, forgotten recipe, or a chronological evolution of a certain cuisine.

Culinary Experiences

Casual Dining
Fine Dining
Royal Cuisines
Competitive Cooking
Speed Preparation
Theatrical Dining
Traditional Dining
A Journey through Time (one dish diff styles)
Contemporary - Fusion Culture
Contemporary - Plating and Presentation
Contemporary - Senses (dark, smell, taste, touch)
Molecular Innovation - Elemental
Futuristic - using chemicals to recreate dishes
Health Conscious