When in London, It’s a Burger and Neapolitan Ice Cream for You: Rejoinder to “Identifying Research Topic Development in Business and Management Education Research Using Legitimation Code Theory”

[Extract] If you’re in London, and want to play it safe by following the trends and becoming part of the popular local “food stream,” current research suggests that you should eat a burger followed by Neapolitan ice cream. If you’re in Montreal, it’s poutine and vanilla ice cream. In New York, it’s sushi followed by chocolate ice cream. The data are clear; this is what people are eating in these cities (Canadian Dairy Information Centre, 2016; Diamond, 2015; Swanson, 2015; Victor, 2015). So, if you want to be a part of the crowd and eat foods that you know you can find in these locations, then these are by far your best choices. And, if a highly regarded external rating of the cook drives your food choices, then maybe it’s time for a burger made by a Michelin star chef for your next meal (Lendrum, 2016).

But what if you’re in Montreal and you’ve already tried and genuinely don’t want poutine (fries smothered in cheese and gravy)? What if the food that excites you can be found only in a small specialized restaurant in the city you’re in? Or, what if you can’t find the food you’re interested in? Do you eat the food others are eating? Do you look for food created by a Michelin star chef? Or, do you follow a recipe that looks interesting to you that was written by a home cook on the other side of the planet? Are you passionate enough to source the ingredients and make the food yourself?