This building was renovated yet the historical character remains.

Taking a tour of Port Richmond opened up my eyes to the food cultures that live in this community. Port Richmond is one of the oldest neighborhoods on Staten Island. Situated near the water of Kill Van Kull, Port Richmond embraces various ethnicities that can be seen through the family owned restaurants and markets. Taking a walk through the streets, I was able to see about twenty eateries in a span of one mile. On every corner, there are Mexican, Chinese, Peruvian, African and many more cultures being presented. Many claim that when they walk through the streets of Port Richmond they “smell” South America. This neighborhood is filled with culture and delicious food!

One of the shops that remains in my memory is a food market. Situated in the middle of a street, this Mexican food market sold a multitude a fresh fruits and vegetables. This shop was pretty small compared to the commercialized grocery stores I buy my food from on Staten Island. However, this market contained so many different fruits that I never seen before. The decorations and food in this market submersed me in the Mexican culture as I walked through the aisles.

Inside the food market

As our learning community passed this market, one restaurant that really caught my attention was a Chinese restaurant that also served Mexican food. This family owned business decided to broaden the types of food being sold and appeal to another major ethnic group found in Port Richmond. I found this restaurant to be particularly interesting because these to cultures are extremely different, yet someone believed it was possible to diffuse these cultures together. This restaurant defines Port Richmond’s food culture. In this neighborhood, there are many ethnicities and these ethnicities have merged together to create a multicultural community. This is clearly seen through the food being made by store owners and purchased by customers.

This Chinese Restaurant also catered Mexican food.