gastronomika in numbers + quotes

a few interesting facts revealed during the recent Gastronomika congress in San Sebastián:

  • 1 to 1  the ratio, on average, of money spent on food to money spent on hotels by tourists in San Sebastián
  • the number of Spanish restaurants in the world's top 10
  • the millions of visitors to French vineyards last year
  • the % of total Spanish blogs devoted to food
  • 12  the % of visitors to San Sebastian that come more than ten times a year
  • 40  the % of the income of wine-growers in the Jura region of France that comes from visits and bodega sales
  • 90 the % of "gastrotourists" to Basque Country that are from Spain

and a few interesting quotes:

  • "I have a problem with the new cooks: you all are more cultured, you cook better....but you're lazier." -Juan Mari Arzak
  • "Treat it like its yours, and one day it will be." -Thomas Keller
  • "The real reason El Bulli is closing is the fact you can't smoke inside." -Colman Andrews
  • "Not having a New York culinary tradition, far from being limiting, it's an opportunity to create freely." -Wylie Dufresne
  • '"Cooking is about control; eating is about submission." -Anthony Bourdain