I’m not. I’m asking about “authentic,” the blanket term you are defending. You staunchly refuse to identify a (for want of a better term) governing body that gets to define whether this or that or the other version of something is “authentic.” And without that, it’s meaningless to search for “authenticity.” How would you recognize it if you found it?
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I just asked the question, I did not state an opinion.
By stripping away the 99% of what’s around me which caters to a clientele weaned on boneless skinless white meat chicken. Or an increased reliance on sugar. Or not offering certain dishes or ingredients that might upset that sensibility.
You continue to think there must be some governing body to give it meaning. What is the high authority that determines what ‘love’ is? Or perhaps it’s ridiculous to use that word.
Again, when someone expresses dissatisfaction with the dumbed down version of their favorite food, and uses the word, I don’t get in a debate about it. I recognize it’s a great word that is a symbol. It is a shortcut that explains a lot. I know what they mean, and if I can help them with a suggestion, I do. I will usually pick out very specific dishes that I hope will get to the heart of what they are seeking. My success rate is pretty good.
See? No governing body. No high authority. Just people using great words to communicate.
That’s some funny shit
I am not sure what exactly you are adding to the discussion with that comment. Though I think your point is simply to denigrate.
So, you. You are the authority. Got it.
It’s not ridiculous to use the word love. But it is ridiculous to use the word “authentic” to modify love. Just as it is mostly useless to use the word “authentic” to modify food. Unless I’m going to rely on you to steer me toward the authentic. And considering how incorrectly you define chow mein (a phrase that literally means fried noodles), I don’t have much reason to trust you as an authoritative source.
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I dread actually participating in this, and I’m not sure “authentic” is the best word, but in agriculture (or maybe gardening), I want to know that the variety of pepper or tomato I am growing is what I am looking for. The various versions of "Scotch Bonnet " and "Brandywine " come to mind.
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Sure, but that’s just correct labeling. It’s a real thing. Also, there are versions of Brandywine? I thought it’s a single varietal, full stop.
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Because you’re so full of yourself that it is impossible to take your words seriously.
Quite humorous.
Carry on.
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I’m not sure if that means I should stop, but in addition to a few named by color, there is a “Sudduth” and an “OTV”. I think many people are looking for “Pink”. I don’t grow those. I do grow open pollinated “Dwarf Tomato Project” varieties, which are “open sourced”, so no one really profits much from the “authenticity” 
.
The “Scotch Bonnet” business eventually led to me saving my own seeds. Actually, my mother in law’s seeds.
Okay, I’m done. Back to observing. I couldn’t believe there were 30+ new posts when I woke up! It has been a little quiet around here.
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No! It means single varietal, period, no other versions.
Interesting! I only grow Anaheims. Maybe! Who knows, now.
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I do my best to reliably answer someone’s request. It does not make me an authority. There is no need for authority of any kind. Sometimes I don’t have a great suggestion, so that’s my response.
Why is it wrong to use the word authentic? The reasons given could be applied to love or faith or justice, or even the word you used, authority.
It changes over time.
Not everyone agrees.
Tomatoes came from the New World!
There’s a whole “pepper gate” story this year.
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Interested!
Maybe I should put it in the garden forum and link it here.
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Because
I can use the word “noon” or “oxygen,” but if the meaning of those words changes over time, and not everyone agrees what they mean, then what’s the point?
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It’s a really good question. I don’t know. I think cultural appropriation has more to do with “borrowing” from a different culture without attribution and stripping away the context and history. There is some watering/dumbing down element, but I’m not sure if that’s always part of it.
ETA: so was La Choy cultural appropriation? A white guy and a Korean guy start a company canning food with a “Chinese-sounding” name that Chinese immigrants see as dumbed down, but good enough in a pinch.
This thread makes me think of the episode of “The Sopranos” where the American paisanos are in Italy, and at a restaurant one of them asks for “gravy” with his pasta. One of his Italian counterparts looks down on him, and says in derision (in Italian, of course, which he didn’t understand), “And we thought that the Germans were classless sh…s; these guys are Italian!”
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Good question. The point is that the word itself doesn’t change. It is a general idea. Not an authoritative decree. Something could be authentic if it generally would be considered a faithful representation.
Where I live, there are Thai restaurants that will sweeten their dishes until they lack balance. And they will only offer the most recognizable handful dishes for an American audience. Yes, it’s a judgement call on my part, but when I speak to people intimately familiar with the cuisine a consensus is formed as to which places or dishes to recommend. So when someone asks where to get authentic Thai food in the area, I do indeed have some recommendations that I hope will satisfy the request.
Symbolism is used in literature to quickly and efficiently get across an idea that would otherwise take pages and pages of clumsy text. So I consider the request to be a kind of symbol.
It usually means all of the below:
Don’t overly rely on sweetener
Use the exotic ingredients you’d probably get over there.
Don’t substitute boneless skinless white meat chicken in all your dishes.
Offer high spice levels when appropriate, or as the customer would like.
Offer foods not covered in gravy.
Offer dishes that aren’t copies of every other menu.
Use oil as you would if you were not cooking for an American clientele.
And more…
I would just call that list “not Americanized.”
But the way you seem to use “authentic” is as a mark of quality. “X is good because it’s authentic. And I know what is authentic, so I know what is good.” I can’t speak for everyone on this thread who has disagreed with you (which is, I think, everyone on this thread), but that’s the attitude that gets a big eye-roll from me.
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