October blog

October:

       

         This month, one of the most prominent subjects of discussion within class was food culture and its connection to identity. Amongst American culture, it is common for our culture to combine different country’s food with American food and label it “authentic” despite our own take on the other country’s food culture. In this blog post, I will be describing the discussion that was held about food and culture from class, as well as connecting advocacy through education and distinction of taste within two countries. 

As an artifact for this subject we watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” series which exhibited an American’s take on exotic/foreign food. Through his perspective, it become more apparent that American society sometimes has the wrong idea of authentic food, as well as opposing views on delicacy and customs used to serve/sell/cook food.

Within the episode we see a variation of ways that authentic Chinese food differs from American’s version of Chinese food. In China, they do not have strict health codes and standards that they have to meet like American restaurants do. Rarely do we ever see food lying around in the open-air containers being sold to people who pick it up with their bare hands and call it “fresh.” China on the other hand (no pun intended), as we saw in the episode, sold pickled goods by the barrel with little to no worry or constraint to keep them fresh and stowed away for only the employees to hand to the customer. 

Another idea we discussed was the way that food is cooked within Chinese culture and how different it is from our culture. We can trace this back to ancient customs that belong to Chinese culture and their definition of good taste and tradition. Hannah Park, a lifestyle writer for Spoon University, wrote about the distinction of flavors and preferences within Chinese and American cultures. Park describes why we choose to create our own versions of Chinese food that caters to the definition of delicious in America by comparing tastes of both cultures. “Take one bite of shrimp Shumai in Shanghai, and you’ll be floored by an entirely different flavor than the sweet and sour dish that you're used to. American-Chinese food tends to take on sweeter, heavier tones (sweet and sour pork, anyone?) than traditional Chinese food, such as Pào mó (otherwise known as mutton stew), which opt for lighter, more savory flavors. This distinction in flavor can be traced back to the fact that American-Chinese food had to cater to a different audience, and as a result the flavors that we see in fusion dishes today say a lot about our food palate as a country.” Separating one’s view or opinion, while expanding their knowledge of food culture can really open the eyes of individuals who are too afraid to try different or new types of cuisine. That is exactly why I enjoyed watching Bourdain explore a country he had never been to yet still having an open mind about a traditional Chinese delicacy that can be compared to pig slop. (Which of course he enjoyed thoroughly.)

Living in America, diversity of cultures is increasing within our population. Luckily for us, we can experience great differences in taste and culture while still carrying an identity of our own favorite local dishes that remind us of where we originate. Being aware of our differences in taste as well as what is “Americanized” and what is truly “authentic” is a great example of advocacy through education. The more we know about American food along with what our taste preferences are, the more we can learn as a population about the difference in other country’s taste and history. This is so important to teach within a population that might not be as diverse or carry a negative view about a specific country’s food because it is different than our own. Education can open the eyes of those individuals more easily than traveling could. 

Work Cited:

Park, Hannah. “6 Ways American-Chinese Food Differs From Authentic Chinese Food.” Spoon   

      University, Spoon Media Inc., 28 Apr. 2017, spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/6-ways-american-  

      chinese-food-differs-from-authentic-chinese-food.