Their goals aren’t “to bring people together,” however. Their goals are to have credit shouted from the rooftops that THEY (or rather, their particular culture) invented / created XYZ food.
Well, I don’t entirely trust the market in this particular area. The other day I was walking down the street in a DC suburb, and went past a California Tortilla. They had a banner that said “voted best Mexican food in Washington, DC.” Now, CalTor is OK, for fast casual Tex-Mex. But “best” Mexican? Not even close. But chain places like that push out the little mom-and-pop places that are better. Rick Bayless can survive, because his places are more upscale (although he’s generating chain restaurants in airports, etc., as well). This is one danger of the melting pot–it can end up full of mush.
To be clear, I’m not saying that CalTor is doing anything wrong. I just think the economic forces that push the success of chain food degrades our food options.
Only in America, can you have a Vietnamese immigrant get rich for selling a Thai hot sauce.
The Sriracha documentary was fun to watch. Many people love it but aren’t sure where it came from.
I saw it on Amazon or Hulu about 9 month ago
“although he’s generating chain restaurants in airports, etc., as well”
Mush and the market are real issues. But sometimes we get it right. I’d argue that Tortas Frontera is the best quality airport food in the United States.
People say “cultural appropriation” like it’s a bad thing. Ever eaten in Istanbul? It’s where at least a hundred cultures met and traded for a few thousand years. Every spice and technique imaginable.
Good food—it’s ALL about wonderful cultural appropriation.And it’s why Los Angeles is quickly becoming the food capital of the US. (she says as she makes plans to have Kogi BBQ tacos for lunch)
Seems like California Tortilla does not have any stores in California. Perhaps because they would not be able to compete against the numerous little mom-and-pop places that are better?
Or maybe California has plenty of Chipotle, Baja Fresh, etc., etc.
This is utter nonsense. The US is brimming with foodies who love to go to the little authentic place that serves great food. Yes, there are also people who are more interested in blander mass market stuff. There’s room for everyone. Is it irritating when one sees some schlock food being touted as the national dish(es) of some country? Sure. But IMHO it certainly doesn’t count as the kind of cultural appropriation that’s worth getting worked up about, and it diminishes the real thing…
As someone said recently, if everything is offensive, nothing is.
It seems to me that human beings flourish best when we incorporate the best from our various cultures. This is true whether it be genes, foods, entertainment etc. I don’t see it as appropriating, we are making it a part of who we are. We are taking nothing from anyone else. Back in the 1970’s I used to get my hair permed and had an “afro”. I didn’t do it to look black, I did it because hair styles were long and my hair was far to frizzy to wear long and it was a style that was accepted and easy to take care of. I go to Italian festivals, Greek festivals, October Fests, Culture Fests etc. not because I remotely belong to any of those groups but because I enjoy celebrating the cultures and want be free to apply the best of what those cultures offer into my own life. I personally think we spend far too much time worrying about offending or being offended and forget that we are all people and should learn to enjoy what is best about us. If we keep this up all we’ll end up doing is protecting our worst qualities.
This is a nice sentiment, and I agree with it. However, I don’t think that Pizza Hut, California Tortilla, and similar entities are taking the “best” from the cultures that provided those foods. I guess they provide some diversity in fast food, but they provide a dumbed-down version of the real thing. Of course, there’s a market for it. Does this help or hurt the small mom and pop pizza shop or taqueria? Maybe that depends on where you live.
I’m sorry @lvvcsf …I am going to have to insist that you post an afro haired pic.
Imagine Hyde from “That 70’s Show”. That about pegs it. Except I had to get my hair permed to get the affect.
I knew lots of people who had that hair. They weren’t trying to “look black.” That was just what their hair did unless they cut it really short or did something to straighten it.
And I have to ask, where did the idea come from that white people who tan are trying to “look black”? I’ve seen this said in several places recently, and I really think it’s nuts.
I have a friend whose hair looks like that. She’s Irish. My older son’s had a geekfro until it got really long. He wears it in pony tail now. He just hates going to get it cut oftener than he absolutely must.
I think the sooner we all intermarry and become brown the better off the world will be.
I’m doing my part. C’mon the rest of you. 
It would NOT be OK to make a profit off of my mother’s recipes. Besides the terrible taste, routinely giving people food poisoning is against the law. Assuming anyone would buy any of it.
I am going to bet that there are a lot of Italians who cannot cook pizza that tastes as good as Pizza Hut, which I agree is not that good. Same with many Mexican cooks.
This concept that if you are a certain ethnicity that you cook the food you make must be great is a made up implied “sentiment.” Many ethnic cooks, just by the law of averages, must not that good, and I see no one saying that they are dumbing down their own food.
Any concept that ethnic food served must have somehow be the tops of its genre is an unrealistic and rather false position given that in their own country there has to be has to be cooks that range from poor to excellent.
"This concept that if you are a certain ethnicity that you cook the food you make must be great is a made up implied “sentiment.” "
I agree. I don’t get how we are all supposed to ooh and aaah over grandma’s cooking. Maybe grandma’s cooking sucked.
Unfortunately, they do mean it as a bad thing. Hence, the title of this thread pretending like there is some line that is crossed if one is excellent at selling a food that is not native to one’s culture.
What is happening here is people are trying to empower themselves and make themselves seem bigger than they actually are by saying they own things, which they really do not own. And, in the process, they are becoming their own comedy show.
Imagine this stuff extending beyond food - how silly it would be if the Greeks and the English decided that we appropriated their system of government and that the US needs to dismantle its form of government or pay a share of our GDP to Greece and the UK.
But why hide the issue, as the cultural appropriation meme is a racist policy in disguise the way it is employed, at least in the US. Remember, only white people can appropriate, but others supposedly are free to share culture without appropriation. Yeah, right. Therefore, it is fine to appropriate from white culture, but it is a problem the other way around. As I stated earlier, people who advance and believe this stuff are an illogical comedy in real time. Hard not to laugh and be sad at the same time in that they are teaching college students this drivel.
One of our favorite places is a Japanese/French fusion restaurant, Café Miro. It has the best food and great prices. You can get a 3 course meal with appetizers like broiled oysters or oysters on the half shell, choice of entrée and trio of desserts for under $50. The owner/chef is Japanese but loves French food and so has combined it delightfully. He has all ethnicities enjoying his cuisine–Japanese from Japan and all sorts of people, locals and tourists alike. I’d be sad if he felt constrained because he is Japanese he can only cook strictly authentic Japanese cuisine and think that’s preposterous!