One problem faced by California is the importation (from other states) of HENRYs (high-earning-not-rich-yet) who neither understand the fresh-and-local CaliFrench or CalItalian aesthetic, or any other cuisine either. It’s led to a lot of restaurants springing up that pretend to offer the same kind of fresh experience, but are really just terrible. The Grove in the Bay Area is an example of such a restaurant.
Ultimately, it is educated consumers that lead to great food — without the demand side of the equation, the supply side whithers. Tokyo surprises not only by offering excellent traditional Japanese items like sushi, onigiri and hashed beef, but also by having pancakes, pizzas and little selections of bratwursts that are world class. This is not because of a diverse population — there are no Italians behind the counter making the pizzas — but because of a very picky and educated consumer base that demands wholesome and authentic food.
California’s consumer base isn’t really growing in the right ways, and the downstream effects of that are food that ultimately worse, even as the packaging of “California” gets better.
When I moved here from the Pacific Northwest, I was surprised as to how much fresher and tastier the fruits and vegetables here were compared to Seattle.
Even imports, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, usually arrive in California and so are freshest here.
You'd think so, but I've found so many bad fruits and vegetables at Safeway and Whole Foods in Redwood City that I've pretty much given up on getting my produce from there. Local family run markets like Sigona's and Draeger's are much better quality, even if they are a bit more expensive.
I'm not sure how the big supermarkets manage to screw up the relatively short supply chain from farms that are just a few hours away.
Of course SF/Bay has some of the best restaurants in the world with French Laundry, Atelier Crenn, Benu, Saison, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_cuisine
California cuisine is a food movement that originated in California. The cuisine focuses on dishes that are driven by local and sustainable ingredients with an attention to seasonality and an emphasis on the bounty of the region
1.) for many of the ethnicities, california usually has the largest immigrant communities, outside of the native country. Therefore the dishes can be much more authentic and cater to the native crowds. As opposed to a Greek restaurant in Tokyo, or a Thai restaurant in Paris. When I lived in Japan I often missed my Vietnamese pho. And when i lives in Paris I often craved for my Mexican burrito.
2.) it doesn’t have any food history, and therefore no codified rules on how and what cuisines should be ( as opposed to French cuisine, like mentioned in the article ). Therefore we have Californian sushi, Korean tacos, Japanese pastas, Korean hot dogs, and so on. Fusion and innovation is alive and well
3.) fifth largest economy in the world that helps to support diverse and vibrant restaurants, farms and foodies
4.) real focus on vegan cuisines. If you were a vegan you would be blessed to live in la or sf. You would be able to not just be able to get vegan but also Vietnamese vegan, Thai vegan, American vegan or Japanese vegan cuisines. If you tried backpacking through Asia or Europe as a vegan you would know how hard that is.
Michelin guide recently released a California guide and California is now on the map as a foodie destination. Even though it only has 90 Michelin restaurants as opposed to Japan’s 230, I have way more fun dining in la or sf than Tokyo due to the diverse ness and casualness of the cuisines. (But Tokyo will always have a place in my heart on how perfectly executed a single ingredient/dish could be)