"It is AUTHENTIC" "It wasn't AUTHENTIC" etc etc
 

So often I hear "Oh that isn't authentic XXXian food." Or, "That was really authentic YYYian food."

Sometimes I wonder if I care, as long as the food is good. If the area has one or a few exemplars of "Authentic XXXian food" I might recall that when I was in XXXia, that there was plenty of ok food, but nothing was great, even though I liked the style of food.

Yes, there are times I want an "authentic empanada from Chile" or "authentic British boiled fat pie" (well, not really the 2d one) but sometimes it seems people are more obsessed with the authentic than with the best food. If a place makes XXXian style food that isn't quite authentic, but is excellent, I'll pass on the authentic.

Discuss (or not)

Exactly. The best example that comes to mind is tacos. I adore two soft corn tortillas topped with real carne asada cooked over charcoal, with onion, salsa and cilantro, but I also like Jimboys, Jack in the box, or Taco Bell tacos - for what they are.

This is so Bay Area and I admit that I am often guilty of this myself, particularly when it comes to sushi.

Guilty as charged. :p

Don't get me started on "authentic" Cajun food, which doesn't exist in the SF Bay Area, or "authentic" Thai food, which probably does, which you can passably get if you ask them to make it authentic-ly spicy.

It's a pet peeve of mine that foreign cuisines invariably are modified to suit local tastes. I understand it from a business perspective (greater acceptance = greater revenue), but it still irks me to call it "authentic." Perhaps "fusion" is a better moniker.

I desire to "expand" my taste buds just as much as I want to expand my mind. There are many foods that I enjoy today that I didn't enjoy before (sushi, anyone?) because I dared to do this.

I'd rather expand my tastes and learn to appreciate new foods than modify all "foreign" foods to suit my tastes (or should I say the limited range of tastes I had 15 years ago).

this discussion of "authentic" food and the bay area reminds me that just last week, i had the best sourdough bread ever ... in maryland.

Authenticity gets points in my book; so does excellence.
Pretense at either, however, is frowned upon.

I suspect you mean an authentic Scotch pie.

I've never had any memorable sourdough bread here (or any good bread at all). SF doesn't deserve this reputation. PDX does.

Really??? :D:D:D

We have better bread on this side of the bridge :p The bread is authentic. It is not soup, it is not steak, it is bread.

Can I expand the discussion a little and say that I believe that it is possible to get a good meal at a chain restaurant. No, it probably won't be "authentic XXXian", but I can still like it and admit it. Flyertalk is home to more snobs than the New England college prep school I attended in the 60's.

BTW, my dinner last night came from a grocery store salad bar and I would say it was authentic grocery store salad bar salad. I liked it and I'm not ashamed to say it. I suspect some of the ingredients originated outside the US, but none were labeled as authentic XXXian canned peaches or bacon bits.

Did you really put peaches and bacon in the same salad? :p

No. (Unless, of course, you think the Olive Garden's Pasta Barfatini Supreme with a glass of Peeno Gree-Joe is better than authentic, blah blah blah.) However, it sounds like a lovely topic for another thread. :p

I only discriminate if the lack of authenticity stems from a missing key feature in the food. For example, I've been looking for properly spicy Thai food ever since I came to DC. All the restaurants I've found so far have weakened their dishes for diners here. I've even asked for "Thai hot" to no avail. I have wait until I get back to HNL to get properly spicy Thai dishes.

This thread reminds me of that George Carlin routine. "What does 'New York-style pizza' mean? Not from New York!" Although crabbing is right in that you can get some really good sourdough in Maryland.

I find it difficult to get "authentically" spicy food even in Thailand. I think most people see me and automatically assume they need to tone down the spice. Asking for the food "spicy like Thai people like it" often fixes that, but not always.

It often doesn't fix it. There are too many marginal Thai restaurants around my 'hood. I've asked for "spicy, and I mean it" and it usually ended up barely medium in most places. However, there are 2 places that are serious about their spice. One is a one minute walk from home. It was also part of the "inspiration" of this thread, because the owner/chef is quite creative in his dishes, and while many dishes are authentic Thai, many are not, but are excellent. (I have also decided that super really authentic Thai spicy at its peak is a bit above the heat level that I, and my interiors, enjoy.)

As long as the food is good I don't care how "authentic" it is. However, if I'm in the mood for pho, I'm probably not going to be happy to see something with coconut milk show up in front of me.

What exactly is "authentic" anyways? Do Thai people only eat one thing day in and day out, their entire lives? If I eat at an Indian restaurant in London, does that make Indian authentic English food? I guess I really don't buy onto the term "authentic" all that much. Who is to make that decision?

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Another danger of 'authentic' foods is if they are prepared with the traditional and substandard manner leading to horrid issues later...

Fermented fishheads may be a delicacy... but I am quite regular already :p

North of Expected :o

i really like authentic chez panisse italian cooking.

I'll freely admit that I occasionally partake from the trough at Panda Express, but I appreciate it for what it is - Panda Express. No claims of authenticity are made, and I have no expectation of eating, say, real Sichuan or Cantonese dishes there. It's funny, though, that the OP brought up Thai food, because that is definitely one cuisine where I do throw down the gauntlet. For example, basil chicken (gai gra pow) should be made with minced chicken, not big chunks of tasteless breast meat, nor should it have carrots, mushrooms, and onion slivers. Appalling. BTW, not to hijack the thread, but which Thai restaurants are you referring to in the East Bay, if I may ask?

Ruen Pair, for spicy that when you order spicy, they make sure you know how spicy it will be (and you will know, today, and tommorrow). Sabuy Sabuy II for what has turned into my favo(u)rite Thai place. If the owner or his son are serving you, just ask for suggestions. You will never even look at the menu. It will be as spicy as you want it. Just make sure he knows you are serious. Both are on San Pablo Ave, between Gilman and Marin. I've tried quite a number of places in the area and most fall flat, both in spice, but more importantly, in brightness of flavo(u)r.

Thanks for the tip, Eastbay1K; I'll have to head up there to try them out.

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There is no such thing as authentic Empanada from Chile... :rolleyes:

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Amen.... well posted !!