Hangzhou is considered as the food capital for the following reasons:

Geographical factors: Hangzhou is located in the south of the Yangtze River, with flat terrain, mild climate and abundant water resources, which is suitable for crop growth. Therefore, the local ingredients are mainly fruits, vegetables and fish and shrimp, while rice flour products and meat are relatively few.

Historical and cultural factors: Hangzhou has a long history and is known as the "capital of people, goods and food", but with the evolution of history, the local traditional food culture gradually disappeared and was replaced by commercial catering industry. Many local time-honored restaurants were also forced to close.

Market competition factors: With the development of the city and the increase of population, the competition in the catering market is becoming more and more fierce. In order to meet the market demand, many restaurants have to change the original traditional dishes to attract customers with more palatable dishes, which also leads to the loss of local traditional cuisine.

Consumption concept factor: Modern people's consumption concept is also changing, paying more attention to fast, convenient and novel dining experience, rather than traditional cooking skills and tastes. This has also led to a decrease in the market demand for traditional cuisine.

To sum up, there are many reasons why Hangzhou is considered as a gourmet desert, including geographical factors, historical and cultural factors, market competition factors and consumption concepts.