Just Eat It: A Comic About Food and Cultural Appropriation

Hurrah for this! I write a local restaurant review blog and the "authentic" question always makes me uncomfortable...because what is authentic? I try to explain it to my friends by asking them what "authentic" American food would be? And how it would have to be cooked to be authentic? Sure, we can claim hamburgers and pie...but if your apple pie has cheddar cheese is that "authentic" or "weird"? What if it's American cheese....And on and on and on. I believe that there is no such thing as "authentic", there is only good food and bad food and food that reminds you of a familiar time/place.

I definitely understand the sense of frustration over cultural appropriation, but I wonder if it is always, or even most often, the case that someone seeking an "authentic" cuisine is (consciously or unconsciously) doing so in order to gain "cultural experience points." There are definitely too many individuals out there who fit the description characterized in this post, but I think it is also possible to use "authentic" as a shorthand without bringing along too many cultural stereotypes.

A personal example: My family is originally from Naples, Italy, and I am always trying to find places that serve what I would call "authentic" Neapolitan pizza. There certainly is a range of how the basic components can be put together, but there still seems to be a distinct set of such pizzas that have a similar taste/consistency. For me, it is the distinct taste/mouthfeel of "authentic" Neapolitan pizza that I happen to enjoy very much. I often eat other types of pizza, or try a reinvention of Neapolitan pizza by an American chef, but when certain basic ingredients and preparation are used, I usually like the taste of it the best.

It just so happens that this set of parameters is met by the small pizzerias in Naples that have been making pizza the same way for years, and probably for simplicity's sake, many refer to this style as "authentic." I will say to my friends: "you have to try this authentic Neapolitan pizza!" not because I scorn "American" pizza, but because I find Neapolitan-style pizza to taste amazing and want to share this experience with others. Some restaurants offer what they call a Neapolitan pizza, but if it is missing enough of the common components of the "authentic" versions it will not taste similar enough to the ones that blow my tastebuds away--hence the need for the distinction, that historically is denoted by the word "authentic." I don't expect my friends to understand anything about Naples after eating "authentic" Neapolitan pizza, but just to enjoy a different, really awesome way of experiencing pizza!

<p>As an American of distant European heritage, this comic makes me feel a little sad. I want to know what people in other countries eat. I want to know if what I'm getting in restaurants is "authentic" -- do people really eat it in the country the restaurant claims it came from? I don't know. I've never been to Malaysia. There are so many places I will never get to visit. The standard staple foods of these places is only one of the many things I want to know, but now I feel as if I might offend someone if I ask. I am aware that just because a person comes from somewhere does not mean they know all about it -- it isn't as if I can recite the Declaration of Independence word for word -- but if they lived there, they know what it's like. They know what the food is like. They know what the music and the clothes and the nightlife are like. I don't want to reduce anyone to a novelty, but I do want to hear about their experiences. I'm interested -- a lot of people are.

Some people will find anything to complain about. This article seems to be in line with a new kind of liberal conservatism that I find strange. I think hyper sensitivity only leads to further alienation, cultural curiosity shouldn't be laden with guilt. How boring it must be to live with so many rules.

I wish y'all would construct a more stringent comment policy and be the radical feminists you proclaim to be. I'm so sick of coming to these great articles and pieces only to have the comment section filled with claims of oversensitivity and whitesplaining. Please be part of making feminism intersectional by creating a better community platform where people can engage without having to constantly deal with insults, accusations, and comments that aren't supportive nor continue the dialogue the author started.

(I know you have a bit of a comment policy, but I am asking for MORE moderation, MORE censorship, MORE cultivating of a welcoming and supportive community base.)

So when i read the piece i had the same conflicting view as people below: one part of me could see pretentious people who always want to show off their cultural side but can be painfully superficial and simplistic.

And the other who felt like too much was being made of natural curiousity to try new and other things.

somewhere in the comments i read the line: People from everywhere want to be seen as people not as cultural objects.
and i think that sums it up well. the problem is not that one wants to try and discover new cultures - the problem is when you do only that and cant see that the cultures are made of people same as you.