Authenticity, elitism, grandmas, and just really good food

[lyna_rochdi]

Authenticity as defined by Arjun Appadurai in Buettner’s texts “measures the degree to which something is more or less what it out to be”. Authenticity can therefore be understood as a normative concept because it seems to be something to strive for. In other words it is the degree to which something is original, implying its historical entertainment.

With Indian food in Britain there has been a long struggle with authenticity. Much like the text of Bengali Harlem, Indian restaurants in Britain in the first half of the 20th century were created for and marketed towards the immigrant south Asian community.

However this began to change with the opening of curry houses. Curry houses allowed a new generations of white Brits to explore food. These people were not culinary experts, instead they enjoyed the cheap food and long unconventional hours (much like kebab shops today).

With institutions like the curry houses, the food became marketed to a white audience and therefore shifted for the white palette. The people who made the food were also not of Indian descent, usually Pakistani or Bangladeshi.

This when a pushback for authenticity emerged. Indian food, through the curry houses had become too “standard”. Critiques advocated for the return of restaurants with fancy chefs who came from India. This would serve “real Indian food” to an affluent community. I think that this was done to reassert authenticity as expensive and therefore as rare. One technique they used to convince their clients of authenticity was by serving dishes from tourist destinations in India that their client had the money to have traveled to.

The issue is that authenticity, especially in food, seems very elitist. I understand the want for an Indian chef but authenticity shouldn’t be gatekeeped to higher classes, especially if one were to go to India, then any food eaten, even by the poorest, would be considered authentic.

I’ve also wondered how long it takes for something to become authentic? In a few centuries perhaps Chicken Tikka Masala will truly be considered a British dish by all. And couldn’t one say Mac n Cheese is authentic to Americans.

Also, on another note the Mr.Cardamon video made me think of the relationship between grandmas and authenticity. It made me think of a restaurant called Enoteca Maria. This restaurant has created the concept of only hiring grandma (each for a limited time) as their chefs. Their goal being to celebrate cultural diversity and eat food in the most “uniquely authentic way possible”. I’m definitely hungry now.