"I don't know if it's the fault of the customer who comes and orders the belly soup in a Trattoria or it's the fault of the person with the Trattoria for putting it on the menu"

Sthis week i met in the Digital Chronicles podcast, for Tasty Memories, with the man behind @foodofbucharest, Cristi Dandeș. We talked about how Romanian cuisine has changed, since he became a keen observer of it, how HoReCa looks today, what impresses him when he arrives at a restaurant and why many menus are not related to the declared format of the place.

"Things should be taken up by both sides. I don't know if it's the fault of the customer who comes and orders the belly soup in a Trattoria, or it's the fault of the person with the Trattoria for putting it on the menu. Now, on the one hand, everyone has to somehow assume the expectations to be at a real norm, don't expect it to be a guaranteed wow. And on the other hand, the head chef in the back maybe has a Romanian wife of 20 years and she taught him to make a belly soup so good that he really wanted to put it on the menu. If you order it, you are also half responsible for what happens there," he told me Cristi Dandes.

How does @foodofbucharest start exploring a new place? "I start with enthusiasm as something new has opened and I have kept this enthusiasm for 10 years. I want to see what happens, I want to see how I'm treated. However, you can also find less pleasant things. As long as you manage your expectations about where you're going, somehow the disappointment, if any, will be less. You have to look at things realistically. I don't believe in this thing. Our customer, our master, I believe in an ok relationship where the customer must also be ok with the people there, not with gestures of raising your hand and calling waiters. They still do, surprisingly, but if you have common sense, the other person sees".

Digital Chronicles podcast, produced by Zaga Brand and Humart Association (Human Made Art), comes with new episodes every Thursday and Friday on all audio streaming platforms and on www.cronicaridigitali.ro/podcast.

Digital Chronicles podcast is supported by Raiffeisen Bank Romania and of Electrolux Romania. The project partners are convinced that through access to education, culture and technology, we can become the best version of ourselves.