Omaha Skyline

A recent trip to Omaha, Nebraska revealed to me a way in which the United States has changed in the last forty years that hasn’t been much commented upon. Perhaps we might call it “The Kale Effect.” I went to college in Ohio in the 1970’s, and as an active alumnus of my college I made frequent return visits. I used to say that in decades of trips to Northeastern Ohio I had never had a good meal. But I certainly am unable to say that any more. Cleveland has become a Midwestern gastronomic destination (and I have had many a good meal at The Albatross in University Circle in recent years). High quality food culture has reached many, if not most, cities of any size between the coasts – and food journalism frequently focuses on great new finds in both of the Portlands (Oregon and Maine) – and many places in between.

On a weekend trip to Omaha we ate in TWO French bistro style restaurants – both of which served both good food and interesting wines and beers. And yes, kale, the sacred vegetable of Brooklyn was on the menu in both places (a food, the romance of which is lost on me). Even on a recent trip to Gloversville, New York, in the rural foothills of the Adirondacks, both kale soup and kale salad were on offer. The latest food trends have become ubiquitous across a country where in the middle of the 20^th century spaghetti and meatballs was considered exotic. Continue reading →