As you aimlessly scroll through TikTok, yet another “quick and easy recipe” pops up on your For You Page. You pause, intrigued by the simplicity, of the instructions or the promise of a “new take” on a beloved dish. But, as you continue to scroll, you can’t help but feel a sense of dissatisfaction with the constant stream of “unique” or “different” approaches to a traditional dish you once knew. This leaves you with a lingering question: are these creative interpretations enhancing the culinary world or detracting from the original culture of origin?
Cultural appropriation is a well-known issue in the art and fashion industries. However, when it comes to food, the line between appreciation and appropriation can be blurry due to the many factors in food evolution over the years. Social media creators often showcase cuisines and dishes through “mukbangs” or by cooking fusion dishes inspired by different cultures. Unfortunately, comment sections often become flooded with users who feel that their culture has been disrespected or that the dish is inauthentic. While exposure to new cuisines for viewers can be an eye-opening experience, it is important to understand that disliking a food from a particular culture does not equate to appropriation. It is acceptable to have personal preferences, but turning this opinion into a generalized unfavorable bias towards a specific culture is where the line is crossed and can establish a dangerous precedent for how we approach and appreciate new cuisines
Fusion foods have become a sensitive topic in the media over the years. While there is no issue with diffusing two cultures’ cuisines, it becomes controversial when there is no acknowledgment of the culture of origin. This is often overlooked in food culture and the restaurant industry, leading to misrepresentations of cuisines and Americanized dishes. In the restaurant industry, it can be challenging to distinguish oneself without incorporating a unique element into the food presentation, such as a fusion of Japanese and French cuisine or a contemporary take on a traditional recipe. This is a reality that chefs face when designing menus. The crucial question is, how can we respect and honor different cultures without unintentionally appropriating them?
However, the culinary industry is rife with recipe theft and experimentation with techniques employed by other chefs. It’s a highly competitive field that relies heavily on innovation, and chefs who seek to draw inspiration from Japanese flavor profiles despite not being of Japanese origin may now face potential cancellation for their misrepresentation of the cuisine. This raises the question of whether chefs are permitted to explore and incorporate foreign culinary traditions, and if so, must do so with great scrutiny.
The 2016 phenomenon, epitomized by the Bon Appetit video titled “Pho is the New Ramen,” stirred considerable controversy when a Philadelphia chef advised against adding sriracha and hoisin to the broth. This seemingly innocuous remark ignited a fierce backlash, flooding the chef’s Yelp page with a barrage of 1-star reviews. However, this incident sheds light on a broader issue of food appropriation, which erodes the rich history and significance of cultures. By undermining the legacy of a dish, we inadvertently diminish the people and cultural contexts that birthed it.
By delving into recipes and ingredients from diverse cultures, we open ourselves to new experiences, spark stimulating conversations, and share captivating everyday anecdotes from various ways of life. We must expand our horizons and appreciate the vast richness of cultures that envelop us.
Dishes inevitably undergo changes from their original recipes over time, influenced by various external factors. They evolve and adapt, sometimes even taking on different interpretations within the same nation. However, what anchors a dish to a culture is its context within the home and community, along with its symbolic significance. The rituals surrounding who prepares it, for whom, why, how, and when it’s served remain relatively constant over time, passed down alongside the recipe.
While anyone can research the history of a dish and replicate its recipe, disregarding its context within a meal, a family, or a community almost guarantees errors, whether in the recipe itself, its name, or its cultural significance. Moving forward, it’s essential to strike a delicate balance between appreciating one’s culture through food and avoiding appropriation by neglecting to acknowledge its origins, which invariably invites criticism. Ultimately, food appropriation perpetuates stereotypes and contributes to the erasure of cultural identity and belonging, as dishes become overly commercialized. By appropriating food, we miss the opportunity for genuine cultural exchange and understanding. Rather than embracing the richness and diversity of different culinary traditions, appropriation homogenizes and dilutes cultural expression.
