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Previous research regarding menu writing focused on the customers' perspective, rather than the current practices approach of this study. With the purpose of quantifying and categorizing the word choices most commonly used by restaurant operators, this research used text-mining techniques to develop a database of words used in menu descriptions from a broad cross-section of American casual dining restaurants. The words were categorized and sorted by frequency in order to determine the most common words and categories used. Results showed that categorically, culinary words were used the most in menus while sensory and adjective words were used the least. Within the categories of ingredients, vegetables were most frequently observed while fruits appeared the least in menus. Empirically, the major menu word categories identified in this study can help to update restaurateurs with the current menu word classification. In addition, the words within each category reflect current industry practices, which may be useful to operators in describing menu dishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travelers' engagement with local food at a foreign destination could be overwhelming and affect their overall travel experience. This study investigates the role travelers' psychological comfort with local food plays in influencing the development of their place attachment to a destination. The study utilized survey data sampled from Korean and American travelers who had visited China and found that travelers' place attachment is positively and significantly influenced by their psychological comfort with food, interaction with service providers, and atmospherics. The findings also reveal that Korean and American travelers differ in the degree to which comfort affects their place attachment. These and other findings of the study bring attention to the comfort factor of travelers' food experience, thus complementing previous research that tended to emphasize the novelty value of local cuisines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]