Kudos to James Leach on his foodie tour of some Rochester's immigrant-run restaurants ("A Taste of Home," February 10). He reminds us of how much fun cultural history can be. His local and more modest version of what Anthony Bourdain has been doing the past few years was a refreshing change from the all-too-common reviews of mainstream restaurants.

Food is food. We have to eat to live. And apparently, most Americans are content to eat predictable, often mediocre, mass-produced food. McDonalds isn't going out of business anytime soon. But there's a world of difference between wolfing down a Big Mac and fries and savoring authentic Indian or Ukrainian cuisine.

More important, food is so much more than mere fuel. If it's cooked with care and skill and shared with friends and family, food is universal expression of affection, love, security, and community. This has been true for every ethnic-racial group that has immigrated and eventually assimilated. Lucky is the soul who grew up in a household fragrant with home-cooked, authentic dishes. My late grandfather made wine, ragu sauces, pasta, and other reminders of his homeland. My mother was a fabulous cook. My wife and I and all our children cook.

As the owner of the Shanghai Restaurant said, "sharing food creates bonds between people." Maybe if diverse people broke bread with each other more often, there'd be less breaking of hearts.

RICK TADDEO, WEBSTER