Carlton’s Lygon Street foodscape is recognised by its predominantly Italian culinary culture, often being referred to as Melbourne’s ‘Little Italy’. The strip comprises of numerous Italian restaurants, cafes, gelaterias, bars, and shops. Whilst other cuisines occupy some space along the strip such as French patisseries, or Mexican and Greek options, Italian cuisine continues to dominate the area since the rise in Italian migrants post-WWII (Hajek et al., 2023).
As seen in Figure 1, the lengthy Lygon Street strip preserves a bustling and busy ambience, especially at night. The sounds of cars accelerating, street traffic, plates clattering, socialising, Italian accents and music are prevalent along the street. There are a variety of places to choose from, ranging from stereotypical Italian restaurants with sentimental energy to elegant and costly rooftop bars with Italian inspired flavours.
Figure 1
Lygon Street
Note. Adapted from The Age by Melissa Cunningham. (https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-evolution-of-lygon-street-has-melbourne-s-little-italy-had-its-day-20181011-p508zn.html). 2018.
I have had many experiences visiting this foodscape, given my Italian background. Although three generations of my family have now lived in Melbourne, exposure to elements of Italy have been preserved. Lygon Street has remained a central gathering point for my friends and family due to its inner-suburban nature and memorable flavours and scents. Seeing each other, sharing meals together, tasting and smelling the recognisable herbs and spices in a familiar and comfortable setting has allowed a sense of nostalgia to occur every visit to Lygon Street.
Furthermore, family traditions and frequent visits to Lygon Street have promoted my own aspirations to one day visit Italy. Whilst Lygon Street may encompass stereotypes or appropriations of Italian cuisine, this is the closest form of ‘Italy’ I have experienced.
Overall, I primarily enjoy visiting Lygon Street due to the memories I have associated with this foodscape.
References
Hajek, J., Hasnain, A., & Hanson, C. (2023). 5 Exploring the Italianità of Melbourne’s Little Italy: Lygon Street, Carlton. In J. Hajek, C. Norrby, H. L. Kretzenbacher, & D. Schüpbach (Eds.), Multilingualism and Pluricentricity(pp. 123–146). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501511974-006
An excellent article in the Sydney Morning Herald today about #MeToo and why romance authors need to pay attention. Sadly, I missed it, but many attendees at the RWAus conference this year told me Kate Cuthbert’s keynote speech was INCREDIBLE.