Is it just the scenery? The seafood coast and its fresh produce – myth has it that the fabulous views of the ocean while seafood is prepared and eaten by gourmands from the interior of the country is a huge draw card for many. However there is so much more than this to the passion of coastal seafood lovers.
The freshness factor: reality versus perception
On top of enjoying a great meal with family and friends, watching boats pull into a dock right outside of a restaurant is often perceived by customers to mean that the day’s pick will be served extremely fresh. Indeed, some of the smallest of fishing ports will have restaurants where boats pull up right outside with the day’s catch and the fish are offloaded into the kitchen. However, what customers fail to realize is that although the fish may have been picked from the boat just outside of the restaurant, in many cases it will have been distributed via the normal retail channels before being picked up by the restaurant. As with any distribution system, there will be some slip in the system, and while some of the seafood may be sold via retail channels the same day it was picked at sea, a lot of it will be held in cold storage for a number of days before it is sold. This is particularly true of lower value species such as mussels and oysters, and higher value species such as crab and lobster, which may be held for a number of weeks or even
Many seafood restaurants near the coast are misleading when they refer to the fact that they are near the coast, on a beach or harbor. Proximity to the wharf may give the diner the impression that the seafood has been fresher if it has been sourced from the local fishing boats. However, many restaurants around the world source their seafood from the same distribution centers that other restaurants from around the world source their seafood. And, although there is local seafood available in many of the coastal towns around the world, there are only a small number of restaurants that source all of their seafood on a daily basis from local fishing boats. The kitchens of many of the ‘genuine’ ‘farm-to-table’ seafood restaurants are located near the docks where the local fishing boats return with their daily catch, and the food is prepared and served to the diners that same day. In reality however, there are very few seafood restaurants around the world that are ‘genuine’ ‘farm-to-table’ restaurants. As a result, many restaurants promote their restaurants by reference to their location, on the coast, by a beach or a harbor. This can be very misleading for tourists in particular, who expect that the restaurant’s location will mean that the seafood has been fresh. This, in fact, is not necessarily the case.
Supply chain realities
But even if the seafood is not locally caught, it can be extremely fresh. The reality is that much of the seafood distributed around the world today travels long distances via air and by land and sea in refrigerated containers to processing plants where it is sorted, packaged and distributed to restaurants. So even if a fish was caught off the coast of one country it could travel hundreds of kilometers to a processing plant where it is turned into a product that is then distributed to restaurants all over the world. In some cases the seafood that ends up in the kitchens of inland restaurants is actually fresher than the fish sitting in cold storage at a coastal restaurant.
The key factor to assess here is the restaurant’s seafood policy and its stock turnover rate. In essence, regardless of where the restaurant is located, the freshest seafood can be provided and served to customers if the restaurant in question acquires its seafood from quality sources and has a high turnover of stock.
Cultural immersion and place-based identity
Seafood has long been a staple part of the diet of people living in fishing communities all around the world and just about every community has its own special ways of preparing fish and other types of seafood. There are lots of different recipes and methods of preparation that have been handed down from generation to generation and also the food has been influenced by the culture of other fishermen from other areas.
Each region along the coast has its own set of seafood recipes which use the best local seafood. In the Pacific Northwest for example, there are many great recipes that feature local salmon which can be caught in the rivers and streams of the region. These recipes are often prepared using traditional methods that were first developed by the region’s indigenous people. Along the Mediterranean coast there are many sophisticated dishes that use the region’s fresh seafood in combination with other local ingredients. These dishes have been refined and perfected over the centuries by the many fishing families from all along the coast. By dining in a waterfront seafood restaurant, travelers can get a glimpse into the region’s culture and history and see how the seafood is prepared by the local people.
See also: What features should you look for in a comfortable recliner chair?
The tourism paradox
Mass tourism can save a fishing community and its culture to preserve their restaurants and traditional dishes and recipes of local produce, or it can destroy a culture of a local restaurant and strip them of their traditional recipes to serve fare to mass tourism.
Establishments are pressurized into turning out a mediocre fish and chip meal or even worse, serve up bland, mass-produced fare that has traveled a long way to be served up in a seaside fishing community. On the other hand, there are places that specialize in fresh local seafood of all descriptions. You can enjoy the best of coastal cuisine in these places, albeit at a premium. However, there is always a chance to sample similar fare in most cities inland. The big difference however, is the sense of place that is attached to the food in coastal establishments. The sense of place is something that we can explore in more detail.
Psychological drivers of waterfront dining
The ambience of a restaurant with a location on the water can be a huge draw for customers because it can create a) provide a specific relaxation response in customers and b) because it can stimulate so many of the natural senses. The sounds and smells of the sea and of the sea air can even create a flavor experience that is unique to a beach side restaurant. Research into the setting and taste of food has found that pleasant settings can increase flavor sensitivity and so enhance the eating experience of customers. As a result, the natural ambience provided by a beach side location cannot be easily replicated by expensive decor in an inland location.
As mentioned, research on settings and tastes has been widely conducted and the findings already well established. Suffice it to say here that the setting of a restaurant is often to enhance the pleasure of a customer’s dining experience and the atmosphere of a seaside location even in the midst of a city is almost without fail to enhance greatly the flavor and overall dining experience of a fish and chip supper.
It’s often been said that people on holiday enjoy their meals more on a beach holiday than they do in their own town or city. And there’s lots of sense in this. Because of the relaxed nature of a beach holiday, there’s more time to appreciate the slower pace of life. And this is especially true for your mealtimes. With no need to rush off to anywhere else, you can sit back, relax, and really enjoy every aspect of your dining experience. There’s more time to enjoy the development of flavors and aromas as you find in quality seafood, for example. There’s more time to really take in the look and appearance of your food before you take your first bite. And there’s more time to really appreciate the company of family and friends.
Memory formation
Fresh fish, beach food, gulls, sea air. These are powerful and very evocative stimuli, that can evoke strong and very positive feelings in people. Thus the memories of their time on a beach and of their dining experiences whilst on holiday there will be of a very high standard and bring back feelings of great enjoyment and satisfaction to those who experience them. Strong memories are the base of return visits to a place or locations and also of very powerful recommendations to others of places, shops, restaurants etc. that the traveler visited and where they had great experiences.
Strong memories drive return visits and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Economic and practical considerations
The business models of coastal seafood restaurants differ from those found in other restaurants, such as inland restaurants that supply to tourists. Coastal seafood restaurants can capitalize on the tourists that visit their locations during peak holiday times in the year. The fluctuation in the number of customers in a restaurant throughout the year can affect several aspects of the restaurant. Some of the aspects are the prices of the menu and the number of employees. In coastal seafood restaurants that have only a few seats in the dining area, during peak holiday times, the restaurants can charge high prices for their seafood meals and the customers perceive a high value in what they are being charged for their meal. A meal of even fish and chips can be perceived by a customer as having a high value if the customer is not wearing shoes and eating the meal at a coastal seafood restaurant.
In peak holiday seasons, a lot of the restaurants and cafes in coastal areas trade on their location. While they offer some fresh seafood dishes, it is the place where customers are eating that is the main part of the restaurants’ offer. As all of these restaurants are generally small, with a limited floor space, most are staffed on a seasonal basis. In order to earn enough to cover the cost of their employees during the off season, the food must be sold for a high enough price during the peak holiday season. This in turn creates unique holiday dining experiences. Hence, the fish and chips that you would generally have sitting down in a normal restaurant, with your shoes on, tastes so much better when eaten on the beach, with your feet in the sand and the seagulls flying overhead. The unique taste experience is due to a combination of the fresh food served by the restaurant, and the location where you are eating.
While seafood can be eaten inland of a coast and is in fact often eaten there, it is also true that seafood eaten in a coastal environment offers more than just great taste. There is a powerful combination of sensory experience, cultural connection and psychological appeal that coastal seafood dining delivers in a way that most other dining experiences are not able to offer.
