Roxanne Quintero comments are insightful.
To bring this thread to a lighter side . . . . I came across this article about foods that have gone out of favor (American viewpoint) in recent years . . . . Iām not sure their absence makes the American table less authentic (cutting myself off there to keep it light )
Thatās one weird article. Iām not sure Iād characterize artificially flavored kids drinks and gum as food.
My mother used Crisco in baking always.
Made the best biscuits.
And Iām sticking up for the validity of Sloppy Joeās, National version. Not the wacky NJ one.
I think you did a wonderful job in your post. Well done. Your post makes me also contemplate the politically correct terminology of ācultural appropriation.ā Is my adjustment of matzo brei āmore okayā due to my Russian Jewish heritage? What about my lasagna? Does my Russian/English/German heritage diminish it? How about my wifeās entirely Italian family? Does that matter? Does my version of Irish stew count less because my ancestors are from the wrong island in the UK? Is my Caribbean cooking less valid for not having a cultural connection beyond dozens of working visits there?
Iām in no way defensive here, just addingāI hopeāto @Thimesā excellent post.
In the USA, none of that should matter.
At least thatās the way I envision harmony.
āShouldā and āisā are different, even here on HO.
No one cares what you cook at home. Cook away.
You covered so many things so well - thank you.
These especially resonated:
This.
In my original response, I was trying to figure out how to address ācultural appropriationā and when it is considered a problem vs. when it is painted as being ātoo sensitiveā (aka PC) - I think your points about power articulated it - thereās a directionality, and the target matters, itās not an equivalent discussion applied to different groups. Irish stew with an Ottolenghi twist = problem. Israeli food with Nigella ālibertiesā = ???
I had a recent situation in the back of my mind when I read the article: Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen blogged about a chicken curry recipe from Chetna Makan (of GBBO) - Perelman ācorrectedā the name of the recipe (āMakan calls the recipe chicken curry, but I took the liberty of calling it by what seems to be its full dish name: chicken tikka masalaā.) There was an uproar in the comments, she was suitably apologetic and changed it (back), but the fact remains that she thought it was ok to do it in the first place - Makan describes it as her motherās chicken curry, but Perelman thought maybe she got the name wrong by mistakeā¦? It highlighted for me - again - the threads of power and privilege that are so often glossed over or otherwise coded.