After
having spent hours searching through various clothing stores looking for the
perfect outfit, the only stop that I ever make in the commercial zone is
to a food
outlet.
Passing
by the
local food stall, my mouth began watering when the sumptuous smell
of the local cuisine intrigued my saliva glands. I looked down only to hear the
grumbling sound of my stomach and even though I came with only one purpose to
the city, I could taste the appetizing food product in my mouth enticing me to
make just one small stop just to fill this empty void.
 |
Illustrated
in the image above is a small scale local food restaurant located in the commercial
zone in urban city center of Arima. As seen in the image above “Amanda’s” sells
a variety of items from donuts and cakes to roti and various types of pies
which are all part of the “trini” pallet.
Food
is essential to human life and determines human survival. The food places in
urban areas act as a means to provide one of the basic amenities needed by
human beings on a daily basis. It is a
cultural commodity that is representative of a specific nutritional value,
taste and tradition (Schanbacher 2010). Food
in general provides the necessary nutrients needed by the human body for growth
and development.
The
following link summarizes the importance of food to the human body and health:
Likewise,
it is seen that these food outlets, be it local cuisine or foreign products,
are scattered around the entire urban city center especially
in the main commercial zones in Trinidad. This allows maximum
contact with the everyday shoppers and pedestrians and with the appropriate advertising
and infrastructural development for the commodity allows for the success of the
central business (Bhatia 2010) and thus the continuous success of the commercial
zone as it increases income generation.
Therefore,
there are many positive and negative consequences of food outlets being present
in the commercial zone or city center.
One
main advantage of food outlets being located in the commercial zone
is the fact that it ensures for high food availability to the
public. This means that there is a wide selection
to choose from, be it Doubles, gyros, KFC, Subway, Chinese Food, fried and
baked pies and many many more. This acts as a means to ensure that people always
come back knowing that they have easy access than having to go into another
area to get exactly what they want to eat with more options. Therefore, food
outlets enhance the diversity of commercial zones.
Another
advantage of food outlets in commercial zones is that they
are very convenient. Persons won’t have to go out of their way to
get something to eat during their time at the city center. They can just pull
up at the side of the road if they’re driving or just stop in at any of the
small businesses on the main city streets or even go to one of the restaurants
located in the commercial zone. Thus,
the location of food stall in city center make it convenient for persons to
spend minimal time getting something to eat and thus encourages them to come
back as they can stay on their route.
On
the other hand, although food places being located in the city center plays a
major role in its success there are many negative consequences that also arise
due to this. These problems mainly arise due to the lucrative advertising that
these persons adopt in their sales strategy. These encourage person to waste
their money on unnecessary food items that they may not need at the money or
even spend too much more. This thus allows persons to have to cut back on something
else that they would have wanted to buy that would be seen as a necessity.
Food
places in commercial zones are seen to be very important aspect of urban culture
as it is one of the most frequented places in the urban areas especially in
Trinidad. These pose many benefits such as high convenience and high accessibility
but it on the other hand encourages person to spend their money unwisely due to
consumer advertising that many persons cannot resist. However, it should be
noted that there are varying types of food outlets in commercial zones that
allow for it to continually be successful and generate income. These types
shall be explored in the upcoming blog entry and each has their own pro and
cons to the city and society on a whole.
References:
Biology.blurtit.com.2014."Why
Is Food Important For The Body? - Blurtit.".
http://biology.blurtit.com/284614/why-is-food-important-for-the-body (accessed
3 Apr 2014).Bhatia, S.C. 2010.Retail Management.
Atlantic Publishers & Dist., 2008.
Bhatia, S.C. 2010.Retail
Management. Atlantic Publishers & Dist., 2008.
Mdgeo.com.
2011."Five important points why food is important to health | MD
Geo."http://www.mdgeo.com/five-important-points-why-food-is-important-to-health/
(accessed 3 Apr 2014).
Schanbacher,
William D. 2010.The
politics of food. Westport, CT: Praeger
Security International.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment