Cincinnatians, whether natives or transplants, love sharing their views on the city, especially in the form of an editorial letter. Last month, “Jenny” shared her feelings on the city’s apparent lack of inclusivity with The Enquirer. After two years of living on the East Side, she still hasn't made any friends. :( On the flip side, back in July 2012, The Enquirer published an op-ed from a guy who moved from Chicago to Cincinnati and loves it, verifying that Cincinnati is an actual real city and can stand with the rest of ‘em.
These types of accounts get shared on social media like a conversational plague, often times, I suspect, before said sharers have actually read the entire piece. Of course, any rational human knows the reality of our city, much like any other in the world, is somewhere in between — Greater Cincinnati, with all its progress and problems, is a huge place made up of extremely diverse neighborhoods. No two people will have the exact same experience, which is one of the reasons I enjoy living here. Chef David Falk of the Boca Restaurant Group also loves Cincinnati, as expressed in his recent contribution to Huffington Post’s Love Letters (which also has been shared by at least 15 of my friends on Facebook).
Falk, owner of Boca, Nada and Sotto, has lived all over the world, including Chicago, New York and Rome. He’s a Cincy native and, after traveling for culinary inspiration, he’s called the city home (again) for the past 12 years. Here are a few choice bits from his mini manifesto:
“I believe the same things that make a great restaurant make a great city: the connection between a vision and the people that carry it out, the structures that seem to rise from the mind to the sky and the progress of those who create them. Cincinnati, you are a city of creators. Restaurants, like cities, would not exist without the tireless ones, the ones that spend every ounce of energy toiling to make them great because they believe in the vision of visionaries.”
“All of your faces are flawed and beautiful and inspire in me the passion I felt when I first saw your skyline stretched over the river as I drove through the Cut-in-the-Hill.”
“When I left, Cincinnati's food scene was largely uninspired. Although, I must admit, I've always been intoxicated by your controversial chili. This strange Greek concoction maligned by some, fiercely defended by others, nursed me through so many hangovers (and contributed to a few). But you've changed and you're so much more.”
“Cincinnati, you and I both grew and changed while I was away. You are courageous; a romantic pioneer. I think I realized just how far you had come one night this summer, our city park ablaze with lights, lights that took an army of tech engineers to achieve, lights as a gift to your many lovers, 35,000 of them squeezed together in celebration.”
Go here to read Falk’s full Cincinnati Love Letter.
