Looking for America (in Tulsa)

Recently, my husband and I visited New York City. We met in New York at law school, and my husband grew up in Manhattan, so the city is quite familiar to us. We wanted to simply roam the city, seeing as much of different neighborhoods as possible. The one touristy activity we did was attending the Tenement Museum in the lower east side. For those who have never been, the Tenement Museum is incredible. The building itself is filled with over a century's worth of wallpaper, paint, graffiti, and other relics of the past. I love old buildings, and the history they present. They are archeological sites that involve, not digging dirt, but scrapping off past histories from the walls. The museum is in the lower east side, an area of New York that, year after year, has housed the current wave of immigrants. To me, this is the real America, the country where poor peasants fled their homes, with nothing but a few bags and hopes of a better life. The America that opened its arms to anyone who had enough initiative to come here. The people who ended up in the lower east side were not famous, and few will ever know their names. But each wave brought something new to America—new tastes, new ideas, new religions. Each new wave pushed our country in a new direction, ensuring that America was constantly changing.

After touring the museum, we wandered through the lower east side, then over to Chinatown and Little Italy, and eventually up to the East Village. It was an eating tour. We dined at a Kosher deli on the lower east side, with some of the best Matzo ball soup I have ever had (many apologies to my mother-in-law). We had cannoli's and espresso in the little Italy. And finally, a dinner at a wonderful Indian restaurant on 6^th Street in the East Village. Diversity in a city creates so many opportunities. You can see it in its food--each immigrant brought their own to New York. The unique smells and flavors waft through the streets, and people, who have never even left the city, suddenly discover something new. Tastes and foods from India to China to Mexico are remixed to create something distinctly American. Like food, new ideas and new ways of thinking come with the immigrants. And anytime you bring together large groups of diverse people to interact, you are likely to get new ideas, new approaches. As I said before, cities are like chemical reactions, and the more diverse the chemicals, the more likely you are to get a reaction.

I wish Tulsa did more to highlight its diverse population. For such a small city, we do have a good deal of diversity, but it's spread out, without visible signs. Unlike large cities, we have no Chinatown. No Italian flags conveying this is where to stop for a pastry. Not even a Market Square, like San Antonio, lined with brilliantly colored Mexican goods. These places make you feel transported, as though you have traveled to an exotic country while not really leaving your home. I suspect that Tulsa doesn't have a large enough population of any one group to create a neighborhood. Perhaps then the solution would be to have an "international" neighborhood. Create a global street downtown devoted to ethnic stores and restaurants, a place where Tulsans can go to experience unique cultures. Obviously, I wouldn't suggest that any restrictions be placed upon who could open a business in a given location, but perhaps through incentives, we could encourage entrepreneurs to open businesses that reflected their heritage.

It also would be nice to have some sort of international festival, one that is outdoors, and involves as many nationalities as possible. I know that we already have some great ethnic festivals, and I wouldn't want to detract from those. And Tulsa Global Alliance does a wonderful job with Kids' World, but that is really designed for kids, and doesn't offer much food. A weekend devoted to music, food, and crafts from different parts of the world would certainly be something I would attend.