Uma leitura geográfica da gastronomia da cidade de São Paulo: paisagens e identidades gastronômicas do Bexiga e da Vila Madalena

Abstract

The objective of this study was to present a comparative geographical analysis of the gastronomic landscapes in the districts of Bexiga and Vila Madalena, two of São Paulo s most celebrated, enjoyable and tourist gastronomic hubs, which is explained by the importance acquired by the tourism industry as a social and territorial change agent in the city s geographical space. Regional restaurants were the subject of our analysis of the gastronomic landscape configuration in each of these two districts. This work started by systematizing data about São Paulo city restaurants published by SINHORES and ABRESI; this was subsequently matched against our fieldwork, which consisted of interviews with owners or managers of these establishments, whose descriptive analyses served as a basis for defining such landscapes. These landscapes unveiled themselves from such concepts as territory and cultural identities, which pervade the imaginary built on these two districts as well. The study showed that Bexiga s gastronomic landscape and identity tend to approximate its imaginary whereas those of Vila Madalena tend to move apart from it