Abstract
ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the social construction of place through a close analysis of the language used in online reviews to describe migrant-owned or -serving restaurants and their neighborhoods in Charlotte, NC. Through analysis of more than 2,000 online reviews of 16 restaurants across multiple platforms, we found that online restaurant reviews are key sites in which discourse about particular social groups and spaces is brought forth. In particular, through racialized narratives that rely on descriptions of lack, depictions of danger, and stereotypes, urban imaginaries are constructed that enable remaking Latin American neighborhoods. We further argue that reproducing such urban imaginaries serves to devalue migrant neighborhoods through presenting them as places that do not match modern city aspirations. This paper contributes to literature in food studies, urban geography, and rhetoric by examining the ways that digital food grammars pave the way for remaking migrant neighborhoods in emerging migrant gateway cities.
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