# Should food be considered "cultural appropriation"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 24, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755 "2017-06-24T14:36:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/81 "2017-06-26T06:37:50Z")
After seeing pictures of their burritos… authentic burritos aren’t like that in Mexico. They appear to be more like chipotle-style where they have rice, beans, etc. Burritos are usually more simple: a filling and that’s it (the meat, or egg, or bean, etc). Adding all the extra stuff I’m pretty sure originated in California taquerias. So it’s an appropriation of an appropriation? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/82 "2017-06-26T08:41:46Z")
The idea of an authentic burrito is moronic. What the hell is an authentic sandwich? A burrito usually isnt served in restaurants in Mexico. We get food and tortillas on the side and people put whatever they want into them. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/83 "2017-06-26T08:52:35Z")
I think the problem with the burrito cart wasn’t that they were two white women, or that they talked about going to Mexico to learn how to make good tortillas. The problem was that they kind of bragged about stealing techniques from Mexican cooks without their consent; they were being called out for being pretentious douches as much as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/84 "2017-06-26T09:03:28Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I think the problem with the burrito cart wasn’t that they were two white women, or that they talked about going to Mexico to learn how to make good tortillas. The problem was that they kind of bragged about stealing techniques from Mexican cooks without their consent; they were being called out for being pretentious douches as much as anything else. I agree with your take. Shut your mouths babosas and cook your pinche comida. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/85 "2017-06-26T11:44:23Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > If only it were that easy. But it seems criticism is just the beginning of abuse. > > I wonder how many cultures have been preserved by cultural appropriation. If no one in the US liked ethnic foods, how long would it have been before those recipes were forgotten by people who came to America and became Americans? Honestly people need to step back and realize that many of these cultures’ “traditional” dishes just _aren’t that old._ the example of tomatoes in Italian cooking has already been mentioned; can you sit there and claim something with them is a “traditional Italian dish” when tomatoes are a New World vegetable? > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > It comes from the same fine minds that like to use “cuck”. Apparently it’s bad to signal that you have virtue. Kids these days. When I was young, you were supposed to have virtue. It was good to be good. We had to get up to change the channel on the tv too. Get off my lawn! The way it was described to me is that it’s about people who won’t practice what they preach. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/86 "2017-06-26T11:50:48Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Actually, calling it “Tuesday” is inappropriate, because you are appropriating from the culture that created the Norse pantheon. What if my family originates from the Norse people? Anyway, now there’s no reason for me to get out of bed on Day Two of my work week…not that I was leaping out of bed anyway. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/87 "2017-06-26T13:21:10Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Honestly people need to step back and realize that many of these cultures’ “traditional” dishes just _aren’t that old._ the example of tomatoes in Italian cooking has already been mentioned; can you sit there and claim something with them is a “traditional Italian dish” when tomatoes are a New World vegetable. Anyone who has traveled can tell you that food is not the same once it has been “Americanized.” I had lasagna in Italy, and there were peas in the sauce. I have heard from many people that ethnic food here is not what is served in the home country. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/88 "2017-06-26T13:25:12Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > Anyone who has traveled can tell you that food is not the same once it has been “Americanized.” I had lasagna in Italy, and there were peas in the sauce. I have heard from many people that ethnic food here is not what is served in the home country. Next you’re going to tell me that you don’t get fortune cookies in China. :eek: I get quite upset about the cultural appropriation by Californians of New England Clam Chowder. Not only do they think it’s supposed to have the consistency of cement, they put GREEN STUFF in it!! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/89 "2017-06-26T13:29:54Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > Anyone who has traveled can tell you that food is not the same once it has been “Americanized.” I had lasagna in Italy, and there were peas in the sauce. I have heard from many people that ethnic food here is not what is served in the home country. It doesn’t need to be Americanized, just to have traveled. Sometimes, just a hundred miles and within the same country. And then there are all those dishes which are local inventions by immigrant communities. Several dishes which are popular in Chinese restaurants in Spain are local inventions, and I understand the same is true of pretty much any country where Chinese restaurants exist. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/90 "2017-06-26T13:33:13Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It doesn’t need to be Americanized, just to have traveled. Sometimes, just a hundred miles and within the same country. And then there are all those dishes which are local inventions by immigrant communities. Several dishes which are popular in Chinese restaurants in Spain are local inventions, and I understand the same is true of pretty much any country where Chinese restaurants exist. Except paella, right? There is only one kind of paella. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/91 "2017-06-26T13:34:20Z")
Lol. And nobody has ever almost blown a gasket over the question of whether it should or should not include green peas. Nobody, ever, at all. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/92 "2017-06-26T14:04:56Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > Anyone who has traveled can tell you that food is not the same once it has been “Americanized.” I had lasagna in Italy, and there were peas in the sauce. I have heard from many people that ethnic food here is not what is served in the home country. Go try pizza in Japan, then come back and try to complain about “Americanized” food. we are hardly the only country to alter “imported” dishes. That happens the world 'round. besides, “Italian cuisine” isn’t just one rigidly defined thing. You’ll find a ton of variance between e.g. Genova and Calabria. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/93 "2017-06-26T14:18:02Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Go try pizza in Japan, then come back and try to complain about “Americanized” food. > > we are hardly the only country to alter “imported” dishes. That happens the world 'round. > > besides, “Italian cuisine” isn’t just one rigidly defined thing. You’ll find a ton of variance between e.g. Genova and Calabria. Or a hamburger in Europe. When I lived there, they were ghastly. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/94 "2017-06-26T14:18:21Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Go try pizza in Japan, then come back and try to complain about “Americanized” food. > > we are hardly the only country to alter “imported” dishes. That happens the world 'round. > > besides, “Italian cuisine” isn’t just one rigidly defined thing. You’ll find a ton of variance between e.g. Genova and Calabria. I agree. Also, many people making Italian food in America are actual Italians and their children. Food evolves. The idea of authentic food is silly. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/95 "2017-06-26T14:26:21Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Go try pizza in Japan, then come back and try to complain about “Americanized” food. Mild side-jack. When we went to Japan this past spring, we ate in the first Shakey’s Pizza I’ve been in since I was 10. (40+ years.) They had shrimp and mayonnaise pizza. :eek: Surprisingly good, but surprising. Yes. They “appropriated” the pizza and then adapted it for local tastes. It’s called cultural evolution, and it’s a good thing. I suspect that anyone who starts an argument with “cultural appropriation” isn’t sincerely concerned with that. It’s just another blunt weapon to bludgeon cultural enemies of whatever their unstated agenda actually is. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/96 "2017-06-26T14:27:58Z")
Then there is [this](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/the-food-fight-at-oberlin-college/421401/) incident at Oberlin (motto: “The Other Evergreen.”) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/97 "2017-06-26T14:28:07Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I agree. Also, many people making Italian food in America are actual Italians and their children. Food evolves. The idea of authentic food is silly. yep. in many cases, the “Americanization” of foreign dishes was done (or at least started) by the immigrants themselves. Just like chicken tikka masala isn’t really an Indian dish, but one cooked up by Indian immigrants in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/98 "2017-06-26T15:03:22Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I agree. Also, many people making Italian food in America are actual Italians and their children. Food evolves. The idea of authentic food is silly. I wouldn’t go that far. You obviously have never had Sweet and Sour Pork. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/99 "2017-06-26T15:34:14Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I wouldn’t go that far. You obviously have never had Sweet and Sour Pork. 😃 Sweet and sour pork is a perfect example, I’ve had local variations in Indonesia, the US and Singapore. It’s only in the US that people worry that it’s not authentic. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755/100 "2017-06-26T15:50:44Z")
Someone should serve them Chicken Parmesan. A nice, simple dish. Then tell them; Ok, chickens derived from a southeast asian bird. Pasta came from China. Tomatoes came from South America. Pepper is native to southern India. Olives (for the olive oil) are native to everywhere from the Mediterranean to China. So just who are we ‘appropriating’ from here? Is this dish some kind of abomination of cultural theft? Or is it just that Humans adapt whatever foods come across their table? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-food-be-considered-cultural-appropriation/789755.md?page=6)