Suggested Readings On Authenticity And Food Culture

I’ve always been interested in studying food and authenticity more deeply. This semester has been a refreshing exercise in looking at something of interest to me in a more academic manner. Below, you’ll find some essential reading that helped me gain a deeper understanding of this topic throughout the semester. It’s in APA format and links are included where relevant.

Learn more about what I’ve been up to here!

References

Alang, N. (2020, May 20). Alison Roman, Bon Appétit, and the ‘global pantry’ problem. Eater. https://www.eater.com/2020/5/20/21262304/global-pantry-alison-roman-bon-appetit

Bon Appetit’s recent downfall is the reason this topic was so salient to me when I started this class. This article does a great job of looking at the issue of the “global pantry.” In some ways, it’s great that ingredients from many different cultures are now being used regularly by all sorts of chefs. But who gets recognized for these recipes, and who is left out? Hint: It’s always the white chefs that get recognized.

Alexander, K. (2016, July 14). Why “authentic” food is bullshit. Thrillist. https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/why-authentic-food-is-bullshit

Alexander takes an interesting approach when he argues that we should just stop worrying about authenticity all together. I see his point, but I personally don’t know if that is the solution.

Clarissa, W. (n.d.). Why Panda Express is authentic Chinese food. Goldthread. Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://www.goldthread2.com/food/panda-express-chinese-american-cuisine-origin-story/article/3006250

I’m interested in how food changes because of the diaspora of the particular culture the dish comes from. When it changes, does it stay authentic? What is the rubric for authenticity? This article is a great argument on why Panda Express, often scoffed at by Asians and white people alike as not authentic, is actually real Chinese food in its own right.

Enli, G. (2015). Mediated authenticity: How the media constructs reality. Peter Lang.

One of my professors sent me the first chapter of this book. It was a great primer on mediated authenticity and how the media can manufacture authenticity. It was a great jumping off point to organize my thoughts on how authenticity is manufactured at large food media sites like Bon Appetit.

Fort, P., & Tam, R. (2019, September 19). D. C. ’S ethiopian food got a makeover. Who is it for? (No. 2). Retrieved December 18, 2020, from https://wamu.org/story/19/09/19/ethiopian-cuisine/

This is a nice local connection to the topics I’m exploring, and goes beyond the scope of Asian food, which I am most interested in. Similar topics are explored in this episode about the Ethiopian diaspora.

Godoy, M. (2016, April 9). Why hunting down “authentic ethnic food” is a loaded proposition. NPR.Org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/09/472568085/why-hunting-down-authentic-ethnic-food-is-a-loaded-proposition

Godoy interviews Krishnendu Ray, and author I’ve also included in this reading list. He talks about the search for authenticity in diners, and the difference between the desire to find a chefs authentic signature vs. the desire to recreate a dish exactly like it would be in its country of origin. The latter happens more with “ethnic” countries. He calls it the demand for “cheap authenticity.”

Hammond, D. (2015, November 20). A genuine myth: If they call it “authentic,” it’s probably baloney | newcity resto. https://resto.newcity.com/2015/11/20/a-genuine-myth-if-they-call-it-authentic-its-probably-baloney/

Hammond makes an interesting point in that authenticity cannot be empirically decided unless the food has an authoritative body that basically gives it a certificate of authenticity. It’s a very limited definition.

Hsu, H. (2015, November 23). Chinese food and the joy of inauthentic cooking. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/chinese-food-and-the-joy-of-inauthentic-cooking

Hsu discusses the importance of “inauthentic cooking” when he talks about the immigrant experience, and how many staple foods for Chinese Americans came out of necessity. These dishes have an important place in Chinese American history, even if it is disconnected from China itself.

Khanna, M. (2020, July 30). ‘It was a losing fight to write anything that wasn’t “ethnic.”’ Eater. https://www.eater.com/21347367/food-media-flattens-ethnicity-into-identity-bipoc-creators-bon-appetit-rick-martinez-alison-roman

This Eater article sums up a lot of my initial thoughts when embarking on research into authenticity and food. Namely: In what ways does authenticity limit chefs of color?

Krishna, P. (n.d.). When did recipe writing get so... Whitewashed? Bon Appétit. Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://www.bonappetit.com/story/recipe-writing-whitewashed

Krishna is one of the Bon Appetit chefs that ended up leaving the company after the equal pay scandal. Among the issues with BIPOC not being paid equally, this article paints a great picture of how chefs of color are expected to cook “authentic” food but present it in a way that is devoid of its cultural background. What is authenticity when it is completely removed from your culture?

LIO, S., & BOTT, M. (2018). From Asian Fusion to Asian Hipster Cuisine: Consuming Cosmopolitanism and Authenticity. In ARNOLD B., TUNÇ T., & CHONG R. (Eds.), Chop Suey and Sushi from Sea to Shining Sea: Chinese and Japanese Restaurants in the United States (pp. 191-210). Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1142g8.16

This chapter discussing Asian fusion food, which is a hot button topic when it comes to the Asian community discussing authenticity. The chefs interviewed here all seem to either reject the confines of “authentic” Asian cooking, or justify fusion food as “authentic.”

Pinsker, J. (2016, July 13). Why some cuisines are more expensive than others: A theory. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/07/the-future-is-expensive-chinese-food/491015/

Here, Pinsker brings up another aspect of authenticity not often discussed: money. Why are some foods valued more than others? When this happens, many foods are considered only authentic when they are cheap (think your mom and pop pho restaurant,) How does this limit chefs of color? This question comes up a lot.

Ray, K. (2016). The ethnic restaurateur. Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc.

This book is cited often in other articles I’ve listed here. Ray is a giant in the issues of authenticity and food and ethnicity. His book focuses on restaurateurs specifically.

Rose, D. (2016). Ethnography. In Adamson J., Gleason W., & Pellow D. (Eds.), Keywords for Environmental Studies (pp. 110-112). NYU Press. Retrieved December 18, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/j.ctt15zc5kw.38

As someone who was unfamiliar with ethnography until taking this class, this was a good introduction to what it is as a form of research, as well as its pros and cons.

Ryang, S. (2015). Eating Korean in America: Gastronomic Ethnography of Authenticity. University of Hawai'i Press. Retrieved December 18, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt13x1j18

Ryang’s ethnographic research into Korean food is especially interesting as it explores essential Korean dishes and how they transform as they travel from Korea to other countries. Dishes adapt, but remain “authentic,” although they may look completely different than they do in the origin country.

Saxena, J. (2019, December 3). What did ‘authenticity’ in food mean in 2019? Eater. https://www.eater.com/2019/12/3/20974732/authentic-food-definition-yelp

Saxena discusses the murky and changing definition of “authenticity” in the American food scene, and how it has become weaponized. Especially interesting is her observation that as things become more mainstream, we desire nicher and “more authentic” versions of it. Perhaps authenticity is more an attempt at being unique than an actual reverence for the food.

Schmidt, E., & Chang, D. (2018, February 23). Fried Rice (Season 1, Episode 7) [Television series episode]. In Ugly Delicious. Netflix.

This episode of Ugly Delicious discusses authenticity and American Chinese food, again a hot button topic in the Asian community. I find it interesting that David Chang seems to contradict himself. He almost disses American Chinese food as not authentic, and says “real” Chinese food is the stuff Americans won’t eat. But his restaurants are not authentic in the way he defines it. I’d love to discuss this episode with anyone who watches this popular Netflix show.

Tippen, C. (2018). Inventing Authenticity: How Cookbook Writers Redefine Southern Identity. FAYETTEVILLE: University of Arkansas Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1fxm17

Tippen’s methodology of analysing cookbooks to see how authors redefine authenticity and assert authority over a particular cuisine was illuminating. There’s been a lot of talk about recipe headnotes and how they can perpetuate cultural appropriation with outlets like Bon Appetit or New York Times cooking. The latter recently started including chefs’ names in the bylines of its recipe headnotes instead of just the journalist, bringing up questions of authority, similar to Tippen’s work here.

Weaver, W. (2017). Food and Place. In Chrzan J. & Brett J. (Eds.), Research Methods for Anthropological Studies of Food and Nutrition: Volumes I-III (pp. 218-227). NEW YORK, OXFORD: Berghahn Books. doi:10.2307/j.ctvw049xx.42

Weaver’s work was one of the first I stumbled upon in my research and remains a core part of it. In this piece, he outlines not only why he believes ethnographic research is the most useful when looking at foodways, but provides a list of “best practices” when embarking on such research.

Zhang, J. G. (2019, June 4). ‘Always Be My Maybe’ and the trap of ‘authentic’ cooking. Eater. https://www.eater.com/2019/6/4/18652061/always-be-my-maybe-asian-food-authentic-cooking-netflix-ali-wong-randall-park

I absolutely love this article because when I watched the movie I was also incensed by the scene discussed here. Again, there is a perception that Asian food cannot be “elevated” or “high end” and remain authentic, which is a trap that limits Asian chefs to only cooking in a specific way. I wish I had pitched this idea to Eater, as the article basically reads my mind.