Posted on 04/11/2016 11:15:10 AM PDT by TigerClaws
Recently, we started a conversation about food and race. Specifically, we wondered out loud, who gets to cook — and become the face of — a culture's cuisine?
Our question was prompted by a recent Sporkful interview with Rick Bayless, who has faced criticism over his long career. Although he is an Oklahoman with no Mexican ancestry, he has become one of the most prominent ambassadors for Mexican cuisine in America. Rick Bayless is a master of Mexican cuisine. He's also a white guy from Oklahoma. Over the years, that has made him the target of criticism. Who gets to be the ambassador of a cuisine? The Salt When Chefs Become Famous Cooking Other Cultures' Food
To be clear, this isn't about Bayless. (Though the acclaimed chef did hop into the comments section to weigh in.) The question of who gets credit for a cuisine — and how they are compensated and feted — is one that comes up again and again in the food world. We asked readers to weigh in with their feelings about this squishy topic.
As with many things involving race and class in America, there are no easy answers — and we're not expecting to find any clear-cut ones. We're more interested in starting a conversation.
Here's some of what we heard from you.
On one hand, many of you pointed out that cooking the cuisine of other cultures is a tangible way to connect. That's part of what makes America a literal as well as figurative melting pot.
I’ve seen several Asian restaurants around the Dallas area with Mexicans working the kitchen.
We have Mexicans and Middle Easterners making pizza and working the Italian restaurants. The Mexicans started putting jalapenos on the pizza and the Italians freaked out.
Not supporting the intent of the article, but for me when I go to a cultural restaurant I want my food made by people who understand the culture and that is usually natives and their descendants. Otherwise you eventually get fusion and I hate fusion foods.
When you can cook well enough to do so.
The hot peppers used in Asian cuisine came from the Americas.
The lard used in Mexican cooking came from the pigs imported from Europe.
The noodles in Italian food came from Asia.
Everyone borrows ingredients and techniques from everybody else and what a delicious thing it is.
Well, all the rest better stop.
And, damn it, only Germans get to eat pretzels.
Let me 'splain it for you... Mexican food is harder to screw up, while getting Chinese cuisine just right is demanding. Cooks are hired accordingly.
I started to read this thread to see if it was for real.
Then I stopped. Went to the end and posted this.
As soon as I realized my IQ was dropping the more I thought of that headline...
Old fashioned American
“As with many things involving race and class in America, there are no easy answers — and we’re not expecting to find any clear-cut ones. We’re more interested in starting a conversation.”
Sure there’s an easy answer. If he’s a good cook, he gets to cook and sell his cooking to willing buyers, even if he’s a white guy making Chicken Mole.
As for starting a “conversation”, all that means is that they want to harangue us and if we disagree, they call us racist. That’s a SJW conversation.
Julia Child rejoiced in French cooking. Auguste Escoffier was known to take and upgrade dishes from other cuisines. His coulibiac was based on a Russian fish pie, and he did a stuffed leg of game based on an ancient Roman dish, to name but two.
Heck, a basic "French Toast" can be found in Apicius.
These people are absolutely insane. I guess 50 years ago someone should have taken away B.B. King’s guitar because electric guitars weren’t invented by African-Americans. And Italians shouldn’t be allowed to cook with tomatoes, because tomatoes were introduced from the New World.
Thanks. I just put it on my Amazon wish list. I also just started a diet today so fried chicken and corn pone are not going to happen for a few months.
Me too!
I've good access to Viet and other Asian markets & have tried the available mixes and seasoning kits; results less than great so I still frequent Pho restaurants, including the one only two blocks away.
(My kimchee comes out too weak as well...maybe it's generic to an English ancestry.)
That is a Hobson’s choice because if I ever brough Ragut into the kitchen my mother in law would kick me till I was dead.
;)
And you cook food that is not from the Caucus region? Oh, the shame of it all.
J/K.
Henny Youngman: “I just returned from a pleasure cruise; drove my mother-in-law to the airport”.
!!!! Really? You gotta be Mexican to cook Mexican food or Chinese for Chinese food etc?
What sick puppies the democrats are.
#44 Heartburn! : )
Re-using it might have been the secret. I have a great shirt that's a little over 40 years old and never been washed in all that time that I use exclusively for gun cleaning, specifically for wiping each of my guns down in the final step. It's great because it's mellowed with a wonderful combination of NO. 9 and gun oil that gives each gun a terrific final anti-rust coating.
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