Recommendation: Excellent Peek Into a Variety of Cultures
Street Food (Netflix 2019) as the name suggest is a food and culture show focusing on some of the most popular street foods around the world. There are currently two season of the show. The original version, which was released in April 2019, highlights cuisines in Asia, and the sequel, which was released July 2020, focuses on Latin America.
I recently came across Street Food while looking for another food show to watch after finishing Somebody Feed Phil. While both these shows can be categorized similarly within food and travel, the content they provide differ quite noticeably. Street Food follows a more serious narrative in its attempts to highlight the people and cultures of the various locations each episode focuses on.
Each episode of Street Food, both Latin America and Asia, follow the same pattern of storytelling. They document 1 well known street food vendor in each city who is the basis of the episode. Throughout the 30 minutes, viewers are able to learn not only about the food they make, but also peek into their history and how they became a successful vendor. Every story is captivating, intimate, and accentuates the different journeys people take in life.
Outside of the main focus, Street Food , will document a few other vendors and foods with short segments. I would estimate that 15-20 minutes of each episode is spent on the main vendor while the rest is split among others in 3-5 minutes pieces. While these other pieces are tied and done well I wish they were a bit longer, as they are very interesting as well.
Outside of this, Netflix does an excellent job in showing appreciation for the cultures in the areas filmed. Every episode is predominantly narrated in the native tongue of the country by the main vendor, and other locals. The only exceptions to this are local experts who speak on bits of cultural history, and praise the vendors excellence. The intimacy of native narrators accompanied with beautiful and informative B-roll shots make for a wonderful viewing experience.
It is amazing the amount of history and culture that has a basis in food , and Street Food does an excellent job in bringing this to light. From spicy moqueca in Salvador, Brazil to Michelin Starred tom yum soup in Thailand, Street Food has a dish for everyone.
Minh & Tim 