Fine steak, perfectly created pizza, softly thick ice cream, and toothsome chocolate describe some of New York City's finest cuisine. However, the food does not change the scenery.
Mice, critters, and rodents: these live within the streets we walk, work, build, and most importantly, eat upon. Many humans perambulate along these streets without giving a second thought to these creatures. That is until one appears in a restaurant. New York City does have many exquisite eateries, though that does not mean that each non-human creature in the city is dead. New York City restaurants have experienced a decline in positive ratings, but have been able to surface above.
From one of the earliest restaurants in New York, Fraunces Tavern (1719), to the most contemporary, such as Chopt, New York City has had rodent issues ever since. As Mary Woodsen of the Cornell Chronicle notes, "more than 6,500 specimens of five well-known species of flies, lice, and mites from 133 rats" are cited as existing today in New York City. These rats assimilate to the rats of yore which sparked such greatly descriptive quotes about the disgusting atmosphere of rats in days past. As Terry Pratchett wrote, "And the difficult part of it was deciding who the people were, and who were the rats." (Pratchett, Terry) These rats live in the sewer, in dilapidated buildings, and also in alleys. Also, these rats roam through common areas if clutter is not cleaned. Hence the dilemma of whether the taste of the food or the cleanliness of the restaurant is more important. By the way, both are equally important.
This recent fall in ratings is not at all that drastic. As The Morning Call acknowledges, "The city's grading system gave an A to 58 percent of restaurants in fiscal 2015, compared to 37 percent five years earlier." New York restaurants are diverse. The constant influx of people from differing places gives these restaurants a constant clientele, for all those who think, "I wonder how such and such food tastes." Furthermore, with the modern movement towards green energy, and modern cleanliness, many restaurants pride themselves in overtly clean and very hygienic environments. So, when a rater comes in, he or she need not feel the urge to inspect much, for the glossy white-walled and or wooden and or natural scenery washes over the rater's mind with cleanliness.
New York City still has certain dilemmas regarding vermin. However, the recent architectural designs and the many incentives towards healthy food and healthy living, have caused restaurants to become less cluttered, to receive high ratings, and to have a largely constant flow of consumers. The Big Apple is still being eaten.
