food July 31, 2009 3:11 PM

Forbes' Mad Lib for the Day

Elena Cala Buscarino 33

I am now convinced that the writers and editors of Forbes use computer generated article templates, into which they plug names of cities chosen through a random city name generator. Either that, or their writers have never stepped foot near Buffalo, know only what they know through past media stereotypes, and don't give a fig about who they step on as they spread high-visibility dreck across the land via their ethically bereft fiction-mobile.

Forbes' latest Mad Lib effort is a food piece "Bon appetit! America's top restaurant cities". In it, author John Mariani writes:

But in the past decade other cities came way up in reputation, so that now you can dine amazingly well in just about any city of any size. O.K., maybe not Buffalo, Detroit, and Mobile, but most certainly there is an amazing number of good restaurants in cities as small as Greenville, S.C., Naples, Fla., and Louisville, Ken.

Part of me wants to rail at Mariani, but I know that what I really want is for him to come to Buffalo, experience some of the finest restaurants - anywhere - and amend his view based on fact.

There are people all over the country and the world who are well aware of the excellence of the restaurants here. And they miss them! Oliver's, the Rue Franklin, Lombardo's, Trattoria Aroma, Tempo, Prime 490, Hutch's, Left Bank, Torches, the 31 Club...so many I know I'll leave some out. Help me, Greek chorus.

And while you're on simmer, have at the editor here: editor@forbestraveler.com. Here's Mariani's email: newsletter@johnmariani.com

Screen shot from Grub Street Chicago.

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33 Comments Leave a comment

flyguy

July 31, 2009 3:43 PM

These are the kind of stupid stories that keep people away because I am convinved most people buy nearly everything they are pitched, especially as it relates to travel destinations. Unfortunately because so many of these have been published over the year its become almost a truth amongst those outside of Western New York. I still hear absolutely absurd supposed "truths" about Buffalo down here in Virginia. I firmly believe there is a correlation between stupid slander articles as this and keeping people away, its lost tourism dollars for the region. If one person stays away because of an article like this then its too many and this article has been a financial disservice to the areas hotel, food, tourist shop, gas station, government revenues, etc.

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Dan

July 31, 2009 4:45 PM

Whenever Buffalo appears on a list that's negative, there's a pile-on of homers dismissing the methodology and results. Whenever it appears on a list that's positive, there's praise and hype.

If you say the lists that put Buffalo in a negative light (fastest shrinking city, most miserable city, etc) are wrong, why would the lists that name Buffalo as a good place for singles, good real estate market, good place to ride out the recession, and so on be any more valid?

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Elena Cala Buscarino

July 31, 2009 5:00 PM

But Dan, the positive press has been true, while some of the negative press has been partly true. This last piece was utterly false. No good restaurants? We have good restaurants and then we have really great restaurants.

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Dan

July 31, 2009 5:42 PM

You're right ... Buffalo does have some great restaurants. However, the number and variety of those high-end restaurants is much smaller compared to similarly sized metropolitan areas.

Growing up in Buffalo, I always heard that "we're a great eating out town". That may be the case, and few cities of Buffalo's size come close when it comes to vernacular, home-grown cuisine. Buffalo excels in the areas of comfort and bar food, old-school Southern Italian food, retro American cuisine, Greek diner food, and hot dogs. Buffalonians eat out a lot, good restaurants are easy to find, many have late dining hours, and prices are reasonable.

When it comes to "foodie food" and ethnic food not rooted in the Mediterranean, though, Buffalo falls short. Contemporary dining trends tend to arrive late to Buffalo, along with many types ethnic cuisine. Consider how long it took for Mexican food to become more than a rarity in the region, where in most other parts of the country it was as commonplace as Italian is here. Due to a lack of immigration, many ethnic cuisines that are easily found in peer cities is impossible to find in Buffalo; Ethiopian, Persian, Brazilian and other South American cuisines, and so on. The distribution of Indian food is spotty; it's at every turn in Amherst, but hard to find elsewhere.

Buffalo also LOST many types of cuisine through the years. German restaurants? There's one lone holdout on the East Side. Jewish deli? Except for one place on Hertel Avenue that is a ghost of Mastman's, the UB student union, and a caterer on Transit, it's not available. Traditional non-tapas Spanish? Gone in the 1980s.

Buffalo is getting a wider variety of restaurants and cuisines, without a doubt, but it's still got a long way to go.

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PaulBuffalo

July 31, 2009 7:01 PM

^^ What he said.

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Websnark

July 31, 2009 6:52 PM

No amount of buffalorising happy talk is going to make up for the fact that in many areas of Buffalo things really aren't so great.

For years, I have watched my neighbors move out only to be replaced by slumlords.

Things aren't looking so great in Central Buffalo/Manhattan Ave either, even though the Mayor assures us that crime rates are down.
http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/calls_for_help_falling_on_deaf_ears_090729

Somebody needs to remind BR that a rising tide to lifts all boats, not just the ones in certain select neighborhoods.

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dgoshilla

July 31, 2009 6:58 PM

I'll say this, I live in LA and this week I've gone out three times for dinner(highly unusual) and all the meals have been amazing. I could do this for weeks on end without dining at the same place. There are very few cities(especially small cities) in all of the US where this is the case and I highly doubt Louisville, Greenville and Naples fall into that category. This is a case of apples and oranges and kiwi.

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STEEL

July 31, 2009 10:09 PM

It is basic lazy reporting but it serves Forbes goal. If they report something bad about your city you talk about them and people go to the web site. If they report something good about your city you do the same thing. Either way they get hits even though the content is highly suspect.

Buffalo is not a top cuisine capital but so say you can't "dine amazingly well" there is irresponsible journalism.

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Lorem Ipsum

August 1, 2009 12:46 PM

Everyone can post comments on the story here:

http://travel.newsvine.com/_news/2009/07/31/3098318-bon-appetit-americas-top-restaurant-cities#comments

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sonyactivision

August 1, 2009 4:06 PM

Mariani threw out a tired joke. In the genre, Buffalo and Cleveland are interchangeable. I doubt this person has ever eaten in Buffalo. The fact that Forbes publishes this garbage is really a reflection of them. Their crappy journalism and endless 'lists' belong in the bowels of their echo chamber and not reproduced by sites like BRO. Ignore them. They will eventually go away.

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buffloonitick

August 1, 2009 4:33 PM

he needs to be served some 'humble pie'...

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Dan

August 2, 2009 1:21 AM

Zagat reviewed restaurants: Buffalo and similarly sized metros, plus or minus a few hundred thousand:

Buffalo: 32

Richmond: 42
Louisville: 68
Tucson: 131
Albuquerque: 98
Providence: 62
Colorado Springs: 66
Nashville: 68
Memphis: 62
Austin: 337
Indianapolis: 72
Columbus: 93
Jacksonville: 66
Milaukee: 119

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PaulBuffalo

August 2, 2009 10:45 AM

What he said... again.

Milwaukee at 119? Wow!

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EricOak

August 2, 2009 11:56 PM

The stupidity of pointing out Buffalo's dearth of Ethiopian cuisine shows how stupid we have gotten. People read fewer books and less carefully, listen to self-conscious, moronic music, suck in greedily the gruel of celebrity, yet we stand on a mighty cardboard box and disdain the apparent thinness of Buffalo's southeast Asian, African, and South American offerings. Is anyone disappointed by the near absence of Persian cuisine in Munich or Florence? I knocked around Florence quite a while and enjoyed its simple, monotonous and really pleasurable food.

But in Land O' Plenty, we care so little for real cultural stimulation that we've elevated cuisine-of-the-month and going out for "amazing" dinners to a barometer of sophistication and livability. How dull. And it's often the simple daily cooking of ethnicities we know little about and care even less that we seek out in this boring middle class exercise.

The august minds of Zagat's are about the last thing that should be on any serious person's mind.

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sonyactivision

August 3, 2009 1:08 AM

Huzzah! What he said!

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PaulBuffalo

August 3, 2009 9:03 AM

EricOak, it's not about status or perceived status. If Buffalo had the distinct cuisines of Munich or Florence, you're right, no one would be disappointed. However, Buffalo doesn't have an inherent quality food culture that speaks for itself. Yes, Buffalo has some good restaurants, but it's no Florence or Munich.

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EricOak

August 3, 2009 10:45 AM

PaulB,

It's just not an important issue. Do you think Tucson has a really marvelous culinary experience that makes a shred of difference in anyone's psyche? Nobody cares, or nobody should care.

And I'm dubious about an "inherent quality food culture." I've lived and traveled in many countries, and mediocre food is the norm in all of them. Good tasting, fresh food? That's what we all enjoy, but really, it can be found here and anywhere. Some places have more of it, some less. It's just not important, except to a culture that has elevated quotidian pleasures, ratings, and uncontextualized statistics to guauge city's worth.
The cuisine in Munich is not special. As for Florence...very simple, repetitive and good food. It's just cooking.

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psych

August 3, 2009 11:23 AM

It seems arbitrary to me to separate high-quality cuisine from books and music (which EricOak implicitly denotes as valuable). Great food can be every bit as much an elevating and aesthetic experience as literature, music, or theater. Sometimes this can be achieved through perfectly-executed simplicity, and sometimes though creative combinations of colors, flavors, textures, etc. I can't speak for Munich, but in Florence, you can find both kinds of cuisine (contrary to EricOak's assertion, there are several high-end restaurants in Florence that are anything but simple and repetitive).

The problem in Buffalo is that, relative to its size, there are too few restaurants that achieve either. There are certainly some, including those that Elena identified (though honestly, many of these are overrated). But there are not enough...or at least not enough for people who appreciate this kind of "art." EricOak, perhaps you *don't* appreciate food as art, and that's OK; certainly not everyone appreciates dance or sculpture, either. But that doesn't mean that others' critiques are invalid.

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PaulBuffalo

August 3, 2009 11:33 AM

I think good food is one important aspect to any region and a reflection of its vibrancy. For some countries like Mexico, for example, its cuisine is a crucial component of its very identity. Food, like art, is a cultural expression. Buffalo may not need restaurants of every cuisine, but it could do with a better sampling of what is more easily available in other cities. Local restaurants could show an interest in creating regional dishes based on local ingredients. Farms in the area could take on the task of producing artisanal offerings not available at Wegman's. Buffalo needs a real public market, too. There are many missing pieces to the puzzle. Unfortunately, I think Buffalo is still the land of the value meal where price trumps taste.

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EricOak

August 3, 2009 12:11 PM

I've enjoyed in Buffalo all of those things you champion: artisan foods, locally produced foods (lots of this, actually), and wonderful taste. They exist. But I don't think they are the norm of everyday life anywhere, not in any city I lived in: Paris, Toronto, New York (the most overadulated cuisine capital). I don't like most Buffalo restaurants, and I don't like most of the ones I've been to in NYC or Philadelphia, Toronto or LA. Usually the decor is a scandal; the food can be good, but it's not art and only a warped popular culture like our own would call it that. It might best be thought of as a craft, but no matter how good it is, it doesn't give lasting meaning to our navigation through the joy and sorrow of life. The best, most sensually ravishing meal I've ever had can't illuminate what reading Wallace Stevens does.

(And I'm sorry you said "other cities." That's a phrase I always throw out of court. It's that old, "everywhere but Buffalo" myth that comes from a lazy perspective about the area)

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PaulBuffalo

August 3, 2009 12:58 PM

'I don't like most Buffalo restaurants, and I don't like most of the ones I've been to in NYC or Philadelphia, Toronto or LA. '

If you don't find the value and importance of the culinary role in the first place, what can I say? Of course, much of the world disagrees with you regarding the restaurant landscape in the cities you mentioned.

Is food art? Not by my definition. (I agree that it's a craft.) A work of art must have no practical use. A beautiful car isn't art and food isn't art because they have other uses. However, an ancient Greek vase can be elevated to art because it has been taken out of the context of its former use and is appreciated for its other qualities.

That doesn't mean food does not have a cultural importance. I would mention Mexico again as it is the place that has made the biggest impact on my life. The culture of that country revolves around food and I dare say that it has motivated countless artists. Good food is inspirational and the rich artistic legacy of Mexico is indebted in no small part to its cuisine.

Does food give lasting meaning to the joys and sorrows of our life? For many, including me, yes. (I wouldn't call myself a foodie in any sense, though.) Food is a part of our daily ritual and in that sense, alone, it can have a profound effect on our lives. Does it stack up against Wallace Stevens? No more or less than it stacks up against experiencing anything else in our lives like visiting Niagara Falls for the first time, listening to great music, or attending a church service. It all adds to the richness of the human experience.

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EricOak

August 3, 2009 1:42 PM

PaulB:

I don't think we know what the "rest of the world" thinks about the cooking in LA or Toronto, but I suspect the rest of the world doesn't really care whether you or I eat a Peruvian stew or an avocado from Salinas.

That's my point; this middle class overexcitement about the food experience is a symptom of a culture that is no longer tuned to its own rhythms and history. In some ways I find Buffalo more mature than glossy cities with attention deficits in this respect.

I'm sorry for the prickly tone, but like you I really appreciate and enjoy good food in beautiful surroundings. However, I think it is beyond trivial to compare Zagat's ratings or to strike poses about the supposed lack of world class cuisine in Buffalo. Most food in most restaurants in most all cities is simply OK; we all know that. We have made a fetish of ingredients and chefs and trends, and it's silly.

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PaulBuffalo

August 3, 2009 2:31 PM

EricOak, I know you well enough through conversations on BRO that I wouldn't call your tone prickly. (Actually, I'm more likely to be accused of that here; sometimes, rightly so.)

I don't think anyone cares what you or I eat but there are clearly countries, regions and cities that have an excitement for food that Buffalo does not. New York and LA certainly have that excitement; Toronto, to a lesser extent. It's not limited to large cities, though.

Others who posted here like psych, vino tinto and Dan have been more eloquent than I on the details. I don't think they're looking at this situation as a fad to which Buffalo must join. The reference to Zagat's is merely being used to show the level of interest; it's a barometer.

You said that '... the food experience is a symptom of a culture that is no longer tuned to its own rhythms and history.' I understand your point but you paint with a broad brush. If a place like Mexico were chock full of ethnic restaurants at the expense of their local flavor and traditions then it would be a travesty. Yeah, some exploit food as a fad -- hasn't food always been exploited? -- but that doesn't mean Buffalo shouldn't improve its obvious shortcomings. Rather than Buffalo being mature, I think it has lost a lot of its rhythms and history. Local chefs have the burden to bring that sensibility back into the community.

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EricOak

August 3, 2009 4:21 PM

I just don't see the "obvious shortcomings" for a city of 280,00 people. I think that's a broader brush than the one I used. Buffalo is not these days a large immigrant destination, so there will be no proliferation of South American or Southeast Asian restaurants. Nor is Buffalo a tourist city--all these contexts are ignored by the ratings game. But that's not the point. I'm simply saying that we're distorting the role of cooking, while ignoring demographic textures, to make value judgments about cities. To live in a mega-city and superficially judge Buffalo's or Cleveland's or any place's cooking is facile . . . and unsophisticated.

So what are the criteria for declaring Buffalo's "obvious shortcomings"? Do you eat here on a weekly basis? And now I will get prickly (but with a smile): you reduced a whole city's eating ethos to a concern for quantity at the expense of quality. That comes across to many people, I think, as an unproven slur. It's as condescending as asserting that in Los Angeles people care only about quality and not about cost. That would be a surprise to many anxious Angelenos.

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PaulBuffalo

August 3, 2009 5:05 PM

EricOak, no offense taken. True, Buffalo is not a tourist destination but many similarly-sized cities, including Milwaukee, manage to groom a larger base of food choices. This whole thing is not large city versus smaller city. I have no factual information to defend my statement that Buffalonians value price over taste; but, I can't retreat from it because I base it on my experiences when I grew up there and the many times I have returned since.

I understand what you mean about distorting the role of cooking and ignoring demographic textures. I just don't know of anywhere where this has played out negatively. I think Buffalo doesn't fully take advantage of its own demographic textures to enrich the palates of the community. It's not about turning Buffalo into something it isn't; it's about reaching into Buffalo's cultural makeup to raise the bar. I believe that Buffalo is much more textured than its restaurants.

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psych

August 3, 2009 4:03 PM

EricOak,

OK, I *am* a foodie. And pleased about it, too. Clearly, you are not--and that's fine. But in bashing concern about cuisine as "middle class overexcitement," I think you're pretending to a moral/aesthetic/intellectual high ground you don't really have. As I noted in my original reply, there are no grounds for declaring books, music, visual arts, theater, etc. as valid domains to be picky in versus food. Nonetheless, you rail about the quantity of books and quality of music people consume. If you still don't see the hypocrisy of this, try applying your approved definition of good food ("simple, monotonous and really pleasurable") to those areas of expression you've chosen as acceptable to be snobby about. By your definition, isn't a nice little John Grisham novel or the latest Toby Keith album preferable to _The Corrections_ or Radiohead (or to _Anna Karenina_ or Debussy, depending whether you're a contemporary or classic snob)?

Embedded (repetitively) in your posts is the notion that a fascination with food, unlike other arts (or "crafts," if you must, though the practical-vs-not dichotomy seems too pat to me) is uniquely symptomatic of bourgeois, consumerist, mass-produced society. In fact, I believe I detect a soupcon of righteous indignation. (Aux barricades! Down with les restauranteurs!) But I think this is misguided. As an olive branch, I should say that I agree that there is a cultural sickness apparent in the most over-hyped aspects of food culture: the glut of celebrity chefs, must-go restaurants, and all the rest. But that aside, talented chefs preparing excellent food--novel or classic--seem to me to be not another symptom, but rather an antidote.

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C.K. Dexter Haven

August 3, 2009 11:27 AM

Hard to believe a critic being critical. Seriously, it’s routine for writers to pick on certain cities. I would say Cleveland gets it the worse. I think that food critics need to be critical in order to drive people to improve. Outside of a few major cities, the food scene in the U.S. is largely unimpressive and dominated by national chains.

I’ve seen on this forum, people boasting of the Buffalo food scene. By and large, there is a number of pleasant establishments dishing out comfort food – that much is true. And based on what I’ve seen in my visits and on the internet, there is an insufficient number of places offering as high of quality and execution yet maintaining value as seen in NYC, Chicago, SF.

As an example, there is a lot of Italian in Buffalo, but seemingly a lack of modern, authentic Italian as one might see at Marc Vetri’s Osteria in Philly www.osteriaphilly.com, Mario Batali’s series of restaurants in NY http://www.mariobatali.com and A16 in San Francisco http://www.a16sf.com/menus/. A look at these menus will show quality, obtainable ingredients, simple preparations and reasonable prices.

Kick filet of beef, coconut shrimp and overdressed salads out the door and discover the inherent pleasure of using the whole animal as they do in my favorite restaurant in the world, St Johns in London http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com/home/, considered Mecca by the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali.

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS. NY State is a leader in sustainable agriculture and small farms, so the source of great food is right here. More restaurants need to create relationships with local farms and consumers need to embrace these restaurants. I’m encouraged by the recent article about Lake Effect Diner.

The culinary arts is a hot career trend and there is growth in potential talent – those willing to put in the time at low wages to perfect their craft and palate. I think places like Buffalo have the opportunity to reap the rewards of talent tired of the expense of living in NYC, SF and the like. The trend is for them to return home or seek out smaller, welcoming venues as artists have done in Buffalo.

A good example is Five Points bakery on Rhode Island St. Another is Hazelnut Kitchen in Trumansburg (just north of Ithaca) where a Buffalo girl and her husband departed Philly and opened up their own charming bistro in a building they own and live in with their young family. Very sane.

An example of the potential is Bacchus. Very interesting menu, well executed and an outstanding wine list.

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psych

August 3, 2009 11:48 AM

Great comment, vino tinto. I just wanted to add a few more things:

First, as for places that highlight locally-sourced, sustainable agriculture, I had a fabulous experience recently at Verbena up in (gasp!) Amherst. They have a new chef who was trained in Atlanta and has come home to show his stuff (http://verbenadining.com/about/)

Second, it's true that "modern, authentic Italian" is dwarfed here by red-sauce Italian, but Tempo and (to a lesser extent) Trattoria Aroma are a good start.

Finally, it's clear to me that there are several people in the area--including commenters on this blog!--who are knowledgeable and passionate about good food. Am I the only one who feels that Buffalo lacks similarly-qualified restaurant reviewers? As vino tinto rightly observes, "food critics need to be critical in order to drive people to improve." But unfortunately, our leading critic, Janice Okun, appears to award 3.5 stars to any place that didn't give her dysentery. It would be great to have a sharper perspective here in town--one that would make restauranteurs just a little bit nervous...and eager to improve. Maybe BR could provide that?

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Dan

August 3, 2009 12:50 PM

Psych> Finally, it's clear to me that there are several people in the area--including commenters on this blog!--who are knowledgeable and passionate about good food. Am I the only one who feels that Buffalo lacks similarly-qualified restaurant reviewers? As vino tinto rightly observes, "food critics need to be critical in order to drive people to improve." But unfortunately, our leading critic, Janice Okun, appears to award 3.5 stars to any place that didn't give her dysentery. It would be great to have a sharper perspective here in town--one that would make restauranteurs just a little bit nervous...and eager to improve. Maybe BR could provide that?

BR leans towards the positive aspects of local businesses, and their restaurant reviews tend to make Janice Okun's writeups seem like ice burns in comparison. Really, considering how Buffalonians tend to be much more "homeristic" than those living in peer cities, it might be difficult for any writer to put forth a bad or middling review of a local restaurant.

Until a few years ago, Okun's reviews tended to focus on old-school Buffalo dining; exurban stage hotels, red-sauce Italian, and standards like the Eagle House, Oliver's and her absolute favorite, the Glen Iris Inn. Basically, the types of places favored by the 50-and-up crowd. She's slowly branching out from her comfort zone, but even then reviews still tend to follow the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" school.

Buffalo Chow (http://buffalochow.com/) is the only local restaurant blog I can think of, and they're not afraid to be critical of locals. (Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide really isn't a blog.) Even they acknowledge there's not much variety in the local restaurant scene. From Buffalo Chow:

"This region has been in a state of culinary decline in recent years, a fact that we attribute to three things: (a) certain key family-owned businesses passing into the hands of less conscientious owners, (b) certain existing local media who seem under-concerned with the future of Western New York dining, and (c) certain patrons who are too afraid to try anything unfamiliar. We want to change all three of these things."

FWIW, I'm not a foodie. Some here may value "authenticity" over quality and variety, and more power to them. However, in the eyes of many people, a city's restaurant scene is an indicator of a region's economy and quality of life.

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PaulBuffalo

August 3, 2009 12:02 PM

'Am I the only one who feels that Buffalo lacks similarly-qualified restaurant reviewers?'

No, you're not. Has Buffalo ever had a good restaurant critic? I think many positive reviews are based on whether the meal portions are piled high on the plate.

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LovinLivinintheBuff

August 3, 2009 4:04 PM

Compared to many larger cities, like Chicago, San Francisco and LA (and on and on), you can go out for a fantastic meal in a chic (cool/trendy/nice - whatever you like) and not break your budget in the least. In the above cities, it's groceries for a week or eat our for a fancy dinner. Even if you make six figures.
.
Buffalo is consistently considered a cultural bargain. Enjoy what we have, because you don't have to deal with living in those "meccas" that people just can't wait to leave. And if you are a food snob, you don't like many places anyway, so travel to your favorite restaurants and leave us out of it.
.
If only we had good Chinese food. May Jen is the best around (that I know of - anyone know of anywhere else). It's good, maybe even very good, but it can't compare to most places on the West Coast or in any major city for that matter.

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RPreskop

August 3, 2009 6:07 PM

As usual, Forbes is bashing Buffalo and other older northern cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh for the most nonsensical, petty reasons. I am so sick and damn tired of their ignorant criticism of the older northern cities like Buffalo. I would like to know if any of these brain-dead editors from Forbes have ever bothered to visit Buffalo along with Cleveland and other older northern cities before jumping to their ignorant conclusions based on popular hyperbole in the news media. It is time for the elitists from Forbes to get away from the coasts and the sunbelt and come north and discover "real American cities" like Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Erie and many others and they will end up eating their words along with our fine food.

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C.K. Dexter Haven

August 3, 2009 8:43 PM

Interesting. I was in Buffalo last weekend for the Garden Walk and it was amazing, yet it only received three comments on BRO. Well at least we know people are passionate about food.

Local food critique is touchy in smaller cities. In bigger cities they are more forward. Read a review form a London paper - they are not only brutal, but hilarious. Regardless, when done right, they can keep businesses on their toes and make patrons more decerning. That's a good thing.

As for "list" jouralism, its an easy way to make a deadline and lure advertisers. Otherwise, they're quite worthless. How else could one explain a city being #1 this year and # 3,000,010,506,734 the next year.

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