I wonder about this concept of "authentic". In Vancouver, I can easily visit numerous Italian restaurants staffed by Italian immigrants and their families, or I could visit Lebanese, Greek, El Salvadoran, Peruvian-Japanese (or is it Japanese-Peruvian), Bombay-Indian-Chinese, Punjabi, Sri Lankan, and so many other types of restaurants. I can also visit a barbecue place or two that were started by persons of genuine southern US heritage. Why would someone skip a barbecue because it isn't in the southern US, as some have said they would do, when you wouldn't skip an Italian restaurant that isn't in Italy?
What exactly is "authentic, local cuisine" in a place where almost everyone is an immigrant, or at the least no more than second-generation? Once upon a time, tomatoes were a new and foreign addition to Italian cuisine, and they wouldn't have been authentic then. Same with pasta, if we can believe Marco Polo
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I had Turkish food in Paris, and thought it was great. I had southern Italian food in Berlin - excellent also. Both were more to my taste than "traditional" French or German food, particularly at the same price point. (I admit, though, that I absolutely must do many more taste comparisons, hopefully paid by someone else, before I can pronounce definitely on this subject.) On the other hand, I only wanted Italian food when in Italy.
What exactly is "authentic, local cuisine" in a place where almost everyone is an immigrant, or at the least no more than second-generation? Once upon a time, tomatoes were a new and foreign addition to Italian cuisine, and they wouldn't have been authentic then. Same with pasta, if we can believe Marco Polo
. I had Turkish food in Paris, and thought it was great. I had southern Italian food in Berlin - excellent also. Both were more to my taste than "traditional" French or German food, particularly at the same price point. (I admit, though, that I absolutely must do many more taste comparisons, hopefully paid by someone else, before I can pronounce definitely on this subject.) On the other hand, I only wanted Italian food when in Italy.
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But they hadly measure up to a 2 a.m. run to the Western Bagel plant out in the San Fernando Valley of LA to get fresh-out-of-the-oven bagels. (...but any hour is good, they bake 24/7/365...)
My dad used to work on the Western Bagel trucks in Van Nuys on Sat mornings from 0'dark-thirty to maybe 7am. So every Sat morning for several years, he would bring a bag of still warm bagels. I think that is one reason I still love bagels today. My only requirement is that the shop use salt as one of the "everythings" in the everything bagel.Originally Posted by mlshanks
NY Bagels are O.K...But they hadly measure up to a 2 a.m. run to the Western Bagel plant out in the San Fernando Valley of LA to get fresh-out-of-the-oven bagels. (...but any hour is good, they bake 24/7/365...)
My idea of "authentic" can be summed up in three questions:
1) Does the chef know how to cook in the style and taste most common in the place the style originated?
2) Does the location of the resto permit the chef to use the proper ingredients? (i.e., can the chef get the required spices, mushrooms, breads, etc.)
3) Do the local tastes allow the recipes to remain unmodified or do they require them to be changed? (i.e., spice level, fat level, etc.)
If the answer is "yes" to all three, it's "authentic" in my mind. It might not be good, but it's authentic. It's just authentically bad. And the first does not preclude Italian cooking from being developed in the US. Buca de Beppo says it the best when they advertise "Italian Immigrant Dining". It's not Italian, it's Italian-American or Italian-Immigrant, which is a style in and of itself. So using the three questions, if you have an Italian-American recipe with the knowledge to make it, you have the proper ingredients, and you stay true to the recipe, it's authentic.
Sadly, I realized recently that I have fallen off the foodie bandwagon. I have become complacent. I think this has come with trying to desensitize myself to food in an attempt to lose weight. Not a BAD thing, but as a guy who formerly took the Houston Chronicle and My Table and would spend weekends up there just to have someplace DECENT to go to dinner, I admit I'm way way behind the curve.
I now will eat at the Cheesecake factory and not think a thing of it. If someone suggests a chain restaurant, I shrug and say "OK". I no longer seek out new restaurant openings and scour to find something new to try. I suppose once I reach my goal I'll get back in to some degree but for now I think I welcome mediocre restaurants because it's so much easier to eat properly at 'em. I don't expect it to be good, and I'm never disappointed.
I now will eat at the Cheesecake factory and not think a thing of it. If someone suggests a chain restaurant, I shrug and say "OK". I no longer seek out new restaurant openings and scour to find something new to try. I suppose once I reach my goal I'll get back in to some degree but for now I think I welcome mediocre restaurants because it's so much easier to eat properly at 'em. I don't expect it to be good, and I'm never disappointed.