Last week, I had the (mis?)fortune to spend a few days in Louisville, KY. Though I didn’t have much time to really explore the city — I was there for work — it seemed to me like the rest of the great American nowhere, an amalgamation of the flood of crap that we Americans do so love, including the same chain stores and the same bad theme restaurants. I’m a little perplexed by why Americans like this shit so much; what is cool about going to new places is that they’re different. If everywhere is the same patchwork of Starbuck’s/Borders/KFC/Fridays/WalMart why should anyone go anywhere, ever? Have we set up a world in which we can never be surprised by something local, different, and unique? And if we have, why the fuck do we prefer that?

My hotel was right down the street from something called “4th Street Live” which is half a city block that gets closed off for adults only so they can get wasted and stumble from crappy trendy bar to crappy trendy bar. The whole thing is supposed to have some kind of festive, party-like atmosphere, a sort of an alcohol-fueled playland for adults after a hard week of work. I made the mistake of trying to cut through this block on my way back from the convenience store late on a Friday night. I was carded and made to wear a little yellow bracelet to prove I was 21 — all just to walk a block. I noticed that many of the bars had advertised dress codes out front, and wearing my standard jeans and t-shirt, I wouldn’t have been able to get in. As I thought about it, it seemed to me that the dress code probably had only one real function: to keep out young black men and other “undesirables.”

The craptacularness of 4th Street Live aside, I did manage to find a vegetarian restaurant in Louisville in what I think passes for the alternative/trendy district of town. The food was actually quite good, and the staff were cool, so that was at least one big upside. One night when I was at the restaurant, a woman at a nearby table kept making a big deal out of trying tofu. “Oh my gosh! I’m trying TAO-FU!” she exclaimed, seemingly proud of herself for overcoming whatever kind of innate revulsion she had to the white block that everyone thinks we vegans live on. She then proceeded to talk about TAO-FU constantly for the next 30 minutes, loudly recounting her impressions of the taste, texture, and looks.

I shouldn’t be too hard on Louisville. It had more vegan options that I can find locally, and overall, it wasn’t a horrible trip since I did get to catch up with some old friends at the conference. Still, I was happy on Sunday to split, and as I flew out, I couldn’t help but play the song below on my iPod. Enjoy!

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