Why is "bastardizing" a cuisine such a big deal to some people?

[Aiko_E_Lara]

You get bastardized pizza, bastardized tacos, bastardized sushi, bastardized fried rice, bastardized curry and so on. One example would be if a European makes their own twist of their egg fried rice, there are salty Asians (points at Uncle Roger), Another one would be people using cream, bacon and processed or parmesan cheese for carbonara. I know the real deal uses guanciales, pecorino and egg yolks but I'm not gonna lie tho, the bastardized version doesn't even taste that bad or some of it may taste better. There's also a Filipino spaghetti. It's sweet, it has processed cheese and sometimes has BANANA KETCHUP that triggered an Italian Chef (Points at Vincenzo's Plate) but really we've been eating it for years. Both Filipino and Italian style are good their own ways. I gotta admit, I do the bastardized version a lot. Using processed cheese on Tacos, Pizza or Pasta, using lemon or calamansi instead of lime, green chilis instead of jalapenos, using coconut vinegar instead of white vinegar and so on. Like using the most common ingredients I can find here. May not taste so authentic but still pleasant at least. It may trigger some people but i don't care. On the other side when it comes to Asian food, I've also seen westerners use Worcestershire instead of soy sauce, using ginger instead of galangal, using butter instead of ghee, using lemon instead of calamansi and so on. I just don't get what's the big deal about it to some people. I guess i'm just not picky.

Updates

1 y

I am going to make bastardized cuisines here at trend and there's nothing you can do about it.

[TommyMountainFigure]

It doesn't bother me in the slightest what other people eat. I'm just very fussy with my likes and dislikes regarding food. I hate anything with too much salt, fat or sugar.

[nolabels]

@TommyMountainFigure
In my book, there's no such thing as too much salt, fat, or sugar.
I'm just slightly kidding.

[nolabels]

Purists will be purists.
I used to find them to be pathetically humorous, now I view them as, wait,... yeah, still pathetically humorous.

[Smoke-n-Growls]

I don't know about other people, but the only time it's a big deal to me is if I go to a place expecting/hoping for authentic and I get a Westernized monstrosity.

Like when I got Chinese food im a super white community and instead of Sriracha they gave me fucking MARINARA SAUCE. With damn Chinese food.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

I understand that one but what I'm talking about is natives getting shocked when their food is bastardized. But in that situation, joke's on the natives actually. It's the natives that tend to get salty when their food is "ruined" by foreigners

[Smoke-n-Growls]

I don't think there's really much point in being shocked by it.

We live in a global world, there's been enough diasporas that even in the West there's increasing cultural diversity. Many cultures place importance on food and sharing meals - in many places, it's polite and hospitable to share your cultural dishes with others.

And, let's be honest, when we have this sort of access to information on recipes, ability to source exotic ingredients, and time, what average human wouldn't want to try something new? And if it is awesome, guaranteed someone is gonna wanna sell it.

Therefore, "bastardization". I prefer to think of it as fusion - and adapting traditional dishes to different ingredients and consumer tastes. There's plenty of restaurants that are adjusting their approaches and menus to source ingredients local and make authentic dishes more approachable for customers who've never had it before.

It's only bastardization if you let colonists drive the future of your cultural cuisine, in my opinion. If the next generation of ethnic chefs continue to reclaim and reinvent cuisine, it just evolves into new stages - it preserves and even revives authentic cuisine while adapting it to contemporary resources and tastes.

[Smoke-n-Growls]

For context, I'm a first generation Canadian of immigrant families from a visible minority with cuisine that is only starting to be accepted in the Western mainstream.

So there's some personal experience in this.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

If you think so then you can always speak for yourself. I'm not really asking about people like you because you don't really mind but still there are those people who makes a big deal about it

[Smoke-n-Growls]

So you're just looking for confirmation bias?

[Aiko_E_Lara]

No. I'm asking about those "some people" i'm talking about. If you don't know the answer, you don't really have to. As i'm just pointing out you not minding is not my question. There's no confirmation bias here.

[On_cloud_wine]

I’ve never heard of that terminology before but for example, when “style” is used in a description of an item, that means, it’s their specialized version that’s similar but not quiet the authentic way of making it. If it’s an American restaurant serving a Mexican dish, they mainly focus on American food. Therefore, they have more American ingredients and so just by adding a Mexican dish to an American menu they just want to broaden their variety of dishes to help please everyone to bring more people in. So if you want the authentic version, go strictly to a Mexican restaurant.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

You can google it up. Also here is someone using that term https://youtu.be/BDgsXNTX8to

[purplepoppy]

The Italians are the worst for that. If a recipe doesn't match exactly how their family has made it for 200 generations they need counselling to cope with the stress.
The truth is we don't all have authentic ingredients and have to use what's freely available in our country and quite often need to adjust a recipe for local tastes.

[Philippa_Sallow]

They get annoyed when people try and make it look like the "bastardisation" is the real deal, when it actually tastes far different and so people might get the wrong idea on what it should be like.

If you make it clear it's just 'taking inspiration' from the original or something like that, most won't mind.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

That's a different type of people you're talking about. And I never even said to "most people" it's a big deal. And if you claim most people won't mind if it's just "taking inspiration" then I can easily say, most people don't even claim the bastardized is the authentic one. When I say it's taco, it's taco. I never said it's authentic. It's still in fact a taco and I'm not being specific. That's just an example.

[IAMNathanael]

Im gonna like what I like.

My work recipe for pico de gallo calls for red bell peppers, which I'm told doesn't traditionally go into that dish. If if we're my recipe too I wouldn't care about adhering to traditions, I just want what I think is flavorful.

[joeldalton]

Italians are the most apt to get butthurt. I agree that it's fine to eat whatever you want. But after a certain point it stops being the food you're claiming it to be.

If I wanted to make Pho, and made it with tomato soup, bowtie pasta, and oregano... how can it possibly be Pho?

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Except you are giving examples of ingredients that are so different to pho. Your example is basically like saying making carrot cake out of potatoes.

[joeldalton]

Right, and cream is different to carbonara. How is that different?

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Both are white and creamy and also can taste similar. Also dairy products only involve the same principle unlike a what you compare saying tomato in pho, that a terrible comparison. But if you want a bastardized pho, i can give you a chinese five spice in a stock with italian basil in it and it tastes alike with slight differences. Tomato is a completely different thing

[Aiko_E_Lara]

But If you really like to disregard the similarity of using cream instead only egg yolk and Pecorino then that is your problem because people had already been calling that carbonara whether you like it or not. You have your own version and so do they

[joeldalton]

Lmao. And my version of bhan mi uses a hot dog bun and avocado

[Aiko_E_Lara]

But if that's becoming your culture then go ahead. Even if you have to put tomato in pho, as long as it tastes like pho can i don't mind. Also by the way ramen with tomato also exist already. But i can only speak for myself because i know they're also people who gets triggered because of it.

[SynthKobra]

Speaking as a chef, all cuisine draws from other cultures. Even the authentic ones. Some tacos, for example, had a lot of Lebanese influence. At the end of the day, you like what you like and anybody who gives you shit can eat your bastardized dick 😁

[MudRucker]

By "bastardizing" I assume you mean calling something and ethnic food while it is nothing more than a variation of an American recipe.

I am Sicilian by decent. I always laugh my ass off when I go to a so called Italian restaurant and see everyone eating spaghetti and meatballs. Italian food is much that that. Try some eel for a change.

Same with Chinese food.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Sure even if it's an American spaghetti, showing tutorial saying "how to make spaghetti", it's still spaghetti regardless and people who laughs at it, joke's on them tho. When no one is saying it's an authentic italian one.

[siseñor]

some people talk like their nationality gives them a culinary degree - i think, aside from giving advice, people should just let others cook their own food in peace & not demonise them lol

[Friendlybro79]

I agree with this. I actually come from a long line of chefs and was taught how to cook from to different generations of chefs. Traditions are fun, can be appreciated, but ultimately through time will change a little. Watching my father and grandfather argue about what goes in a certain dish was actually fun to listen to. It's a very passionate and personal thing for many people. I think you should cook what makes you happy and we all can learn to emphasize better when understanding how deeply people feel about these traditions.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Another way to prove them just letting it get to their head

[siseñor]

@Aiko_E_Lara i get u bro

[Friendlybro79]

It's called pride. Many people want to preserve these recipes because it's important to them. It's that simple. You probably know that but it's just not as important to you.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Nobody is saying that they cannot preserve their recipes when anyone bastardized it. So if it's pride then they're just letting it go to their head

[Friendlybro79]

I think you're letting this get to you too much lol.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Well i'm not the one who admit it is pride but it's you. So if it's ok for you to get triggered because of it, why can't i say something about it though?

[Friendlybro79]

I'm not triggered by this at all actually. I just answered your question from the perspective of the kind of person you're talking about. I hear you that you're saying no one is saying they cannot preserve their recipes. That said when people care about different things than you, they might react differently than you in different circumstances. So in the instance of your original question in order for you to understand my point you would need empathy. That doesn't mean you have to agree.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Then neither am i letting it get to my head but still the fact that you mentioned about pride means a lot actually as also pride is a deadly sin. And sure i'm saying that no one is saying they cannot preserve the recipe so there's no need for anyone to be "proud" and belittling anyone bastardizing it. And talk about empathy, it's ironic because they need it. So yes if i bastardize a cuisine, that would make me a sociopath then because i lack empathy. So yes i do understand that is their point of view and while you're pointing it out proves my point about how triggered they are

[Brokenheartedx]

We bastardized the Mars bar with batter and deep frying it using the same oil as fish and chips..

[jspl90]

you do know uncle roger is just poking fun at people🤔

[Aiko_E_Lara]

I know that but he's still triggered for fun in fact. So yes that's still counts.

[Anonymous]

its only appropriation when it isn't white people doing it AND when it's convenient to use as a weapon to bully people.

[MudRucker]

The fuck are you talking about?

[havingfun101]

They don't like Americans/white people