The Melting Pot

     One of my favorite things about growing up in a very diverse and multicultural neighborhood is that you have so much knowledge, about different cultures, right at your fingertips.  From the moment I leave my house I am surrounded by different culture.  Sitting right at the top of my bock is a row of many different restaurants from any background that you can imagine.  My home town has really developed into a melting pot of culture all stirred up brewing in one little area.
     I live in Astoria, Queens, a neighborhood full of diversity.  The neighborhood first started up mainly as an Irish and Italian neighborhood, with a bakery and a pub located on every corner.  The neighborhood then changed to many Greek restaurants, and the pubs that once thrived there changed to cafes with tables on the sidewalk where you can sit outside with your friends and drink a cup of coffee.  With time a lot of Brazilian, Spanish and Asian families began moving into the area, and with them came great restaurant opportunities for the growing neighborhood.  Now Astoria is known for some of the best restaurants in New York City.  I cannot walk a block in my neighborhood without passing a Thai, Mexican, Italian or Greek restaurant.  There is a restaurant to match your every mood and craving.
     For my project and for the next few weeks I will visit the many different cultural establishments in Astoria.  Every week I will eat from a different cultural restaurant, try the dishes that they are famous for and write a blog about what I learned from the restaurant about the culture, where the restaurant is located,  how the food tasted and what, if anything,  I would recommend.  I thought of this idea while walking around my neighborhood this weekend and realizing how closed off I am to trying new and different things.  I look forward to this project and reporting my findings to you every week.  Now lets eat!!