The Place To See And Be Seen
One of the things ubiquitous in the streetside café scene, besides fish and chips on the menu, is the tagline “the place to see and be seen”. This phrase is now permanently employed by tourism brochures and hosts of TV lifestyle shows to sell the next big thing in street dining. I never quite understood the rationale behind the “to see and be seen” concept. When I go out my main motivation is to enjoy the food and the company of friends and family. I couldn’t be less bothered about being seen, or performing the whole ‘people-watching’ thing that’s as entertaining as seeing paint dry. Is it simply one of those taglines that everyone carelessly repeat without giving much thought, a bit like how any discussion involving lefties are almost always preceded by the phrase “latte-sipping”? The thought of someone dressing up and eating out at a joint for the sole intention of being seen there is so absurd. Why anyone would voluntarily subject themselves to constant public scrutiny in the middle of a meal is beyond me. In Melbourne, a lack of obvious physical attractions that grace say, Sydney, has meant that its charm is more understated, one fine example being the laneways that criss-cross the city’s CBD. Melbourne’s laneways are heavily promoted, but luckily, instead of advertising them as another place “to see and be seen”, the people behind the tourism campaign are smart enough to sell them instead as a maze for one to wander and get lost in, while rediscovering the city from a whole new perspective.
Unlike streetside malls, the narrow laneways are totally pedestrianised and protected from the noise and smoke of passing vehicles. And rather than being a place to see and be seen, these back alleys provide an escape for Melburnians to hide away from it all and just enjoy the food and company.