Food and Culture
Yesterday I had a pretty uncomfortable talk about food with my dad and I'm curious to see how Serious Eaters feel about the topic.
I showed my dad Serious Eats for the first time and earlier in the day we were looking at a food magazine and watching Diary of a Foodie. He's very interested in food, but only Mexican food. If I cook for him, it's got to be Mexican, he only knows how to cook Mexican- you get the idea. He noticed that on Serious Eats there was a lot of talk about mole, which was also true of the food magazine and the episode of Diary of a Foodie, which didn't feature mole, but food from Oaxaca, Mexico.
He said to me that he "hates" when "snobby, rich food people" take foods or sauces from different cultures and turn them into something they're not- I'm assuming he means gourmet or upscale. He believes they did this last year with Chimichurri sauce from Argentina and he's pretty sure this year it's going to be mole, which apparently will piss him off.
It was an uncomfortable talk about food and culture. In some ways I think he has a valid point. Food from different cultures should be enjoyed for what it is or how it came to be, but on the other hand: having foodies declare their love for ethnic foods will enable more people to learn about them and enjoy them. I think my dad's concern is that wealthy people who can afford quality ingredients or go to upscale restaurants will be eating (and tweaking) the Mexican peasant food he grew up on and for some reason that really bothers him.
What do you think?
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35 Comments:
I sort of agree with your Dad. The food you grow up with shouldn't be messed with. You pass those recipes down to your children. That doesn't mean someone can't take that recipe and change it for themselves to make it more to their liking.
goodcooker at 5:25PM on 09/13/09
I wanna see your dad vs rick bayless cage match.
sailordave at 5:49PM on 09/13/09
really glad to see this. I'm straddling the fence here. I always..yeh, pretty much always adamantly assert my feelings about treating culture and food with the most respect possible. I feel we have duties to preserve centuries-old traditions and absolutely treat these traditions--here, through food, obviously--as such and with great veneration.
On the other hand, I think that as we all gain increasingly more access to information about food, the cultural lines and the standards begin to blur. That is, things are 'borrowed' and we 'cheat', 'fuse', etc.
I guess this means that all ideas have their places.
And that credit should be given where due, and not where it doesn't belong.
emilytaylor at 6:15PM on 09/13/09
The problem may be "the hack". When the food claims to be something it's not and has no business claiming to be. There are some great things that happen when people experience things that are usually out of reach and it inspires. Out comes things like fusion food or a new generation of the dish which doesn't want to take away from it's history but is confidently inspired, not claiming to be better or the same as the last, just different. There's a place for both but perhaps no room for that "mexican sauce with chocolate" calling itself a mole.
bigfatmouth at 6:45PM on 09/13/09
I agree about the hack. "chai" annoys me. let me assure you, starbucks and other fancy restaurants cannot make chai like my dad. its bringing the milk to scald, not frothing it. its mildly sweet, not like licking the sugar cane. it doesnt have vanilla in it. (although i like and use that addition on occasion.)
that being said, i feel sad that people do not know and have never tried the authentic version. they are just too happy with the hack for authentic food to truly surface. if thats what your father is feeling i understand.
if its not wanting to share his culture with rich snobby people who used to look down at him and his culture, i understand the sentiment. its kinda selfish, though, and he should realize they are trying to elevate his culture so people dont look down at it.
blizcheetah at 8:03PM on 09/13/09
@ blitzcheetah - man, I want to taste your dad's chai...mind sharing a method or recipe?
bigfatmouth at 8:26PM on 09/13/09
@SailorDave: My dad talks SO much shit about Rick Bayless. It think it drives him crazy that this white guy from Chicago is being heralded as the authority on Mexican food in this country. It alsmost makes it worse that Rick Bayless knows his stuff and cooks authentic dishes.
PumpkinBear at 8:37PM on 09/13/09
as soon as he shares it with me... i will share it with you.
blizcheetah at 8:56PM on 09/13/09
MIL is 88 and still cooking family meals. Many times when my family visits I tell her that I will cook the main meals that weekend (she lives at the shore). We' re a boisterous group and I think I owe her that much since she has so much summer company. She is amazed that I use spices such as cumin or saffron and often objects to garlic. She is of PA. Dutch lineage and there is very little but the food and salt and pepper. While I agree that simple foods prepared simply can be great (she makes a great roasted lamb and mashed potatoes)I also try to have conversations with her about the wonderful flavors from all over the world. Mexican food for her would be Chi-Chi's at best. She seems to see no point, like your dad, to even a variation on a theme. She will never change and your dad might not either, but their points that bastardizing what they know will never be an option for them are understandable. Meanwhile, I continue to make new and interesting meals and hope that at some point she appreciates it. She probably already does, but can't admit it.
janaatwg at 9:09PM on 09/13/09
Your dad is a purist, and that's a compliment. He's concerned about the integrity of traditional dishes and there's nothing wrong with that concern.
I heard a snippet today about food trends on NPR (I think) that described 3 tiers of food creators - the Innovators (those who originated the dish or cooking trend), the Imitators (typically a cut below in quality; cheap, mass-produced and woefully poor interpretation of the Original), and the Idiots bizarre; fused-beyond-recognition).
Cut your dad a break. His heart's in the right place!
moibec at 9:42PM on 09/13/09
I try to respect others viewpoints about culture and food. We grew up with a lot of traditions, but my grandparents were very open to all types of food. They taught me to have respect for where food comes from. As for variations on a theme...I think food has evolved and blended as cultures have done so. My family is Italian and my grandparents made "gravy" every Sunday...it was delicious and that was my idea of gravy. Over time, I've had many different variations....some of which I quite enjoyed.
Pawsinhand at 9:43PM on 09/13/09
@pumpkinbear - i just hope you keep your family recipes alive... i hope they don't get homogenized .... i can understand your dad ... and i agree that when they start substituting olive oil for manteca -- it's going to change things. hey olive oil might taste good, too. but it ain't manteca.
there's a anglo lady at our farmer's market who makes tamales. they're okay but not like the ones the mexican ladies make.... theirs are full of flavor and mystery. my friend veronica's mole takes 2 days to make. it is so special and so delicious.... when i see these short cut recipes i'm always tempted, but i know it just ain't the real deal.
your dad sounds like a very proud man.... that's a good thing.
pooch at 10:01PM on 09/13/09
I think it's a question of degree. As good as someone's 'authentic' mole might be--it might not fit someone else's definition of 'authenticity'. It's also important to note that what is considered authentic also changes over time. That doesn't make it less good, it's only that questions of authenticity that attempt to reify any one culture or even dish at a particular moment is bound to be challenged. Really excellent mole now is not identical to the way it was 400 years ago, nor should it be.
If the frustration is with the inevitable McDonald's bastardization of the McMole wrap, then I see the frustration, but I don't think that all imitations are necessarily disrespectful, and I dislike those who claim to speak for any one culture or dish and claim that those who do not belong to a particular cultural group cannot partake or experiment. All foods, even those which become understood as authentic, were experiments by a home cook at one point.
BananaMonkey at 11:25PM on 09/13/09
Authentic tends to be what you grew up with, or what your grandmother made, never mind that grandma tweaked the recipe to her liking. And added or removed ingredients based on what was available.
Before there were written recipes and cookbooks and restaurants, every region, town, and home had its own "authentic" version of typical dishes. And if you go back far enough, you'll find that the dishes that you think are authentic to a region aren't that old. Because the ingredients aren't indigenous to that area. People think about Italian food and they think of tomato sauces, but tomatoes are a "new world" crop. And at the same time, Spaniards were bringing their foods to the Americas.
I'm all for keeping tradtional family recipes, and I love finding out about regional cuisines, but food, like language, changes over time. One of my mother's "authentic" dishes from the old country uses a can of tomato soup.
Some people don't like change, while others do. A friend of mine thought I was absolutely brilliant to use matzo balls in turkey soup. Because I didn't grow up eating the stuff, I wasn't set in my ways about using matzo balls in chicken soup, but she thought it was astoundingly creative.
On the other hand, I see recipes for deep-frying pierogies and I think it's just weird. I want them the traditional way. With the fillings that I consider traditional. I wouldn't smack someone upside the head if they offered me a deep-fried pierogi, but I'd have a hard time thinking of them as pierogi while I was eating them.
I think there's good reason to keep the traditional recipes alive, but I also have no problem with experimenting, as well. There's no reason you can't have both.
dbcurrie at 12:13AM on 09/14/09
Yeah chimichurri has been bastardized. Hate to see people say, "Here is a killer Argentinean chimichurri recipe" calling for cilantro, mint, and/or lime juice. Don't even get me started on the association people make with sliced flank steak with chimichurri poured on top and Argentina.
Asado at 8:39AM on 09/14/09
Finally something I relate to. I get very empassioned by food. Normally when I seek to make an ethnic food I look to someone who really knows their stuff. Now I love the entertaining power of Ina Garten but when she made spaghetti and meatballs I lost my damn mind. Why? Because the recipe was not authetic. Did anyone give a shit what I thought? Hell no.
You catching my drift here? Although your father is a genuine Mexican no more or less than me being 100% italian, no one really looks to him or me to set the pace for food trends and who is making what even though they are not Mexican or Italian themselves.
I believe that people should make whatever they want with whatever food they can get as long as they are making food and not eating total crap.
Any jump from the norm is good. Any push to create good food from fresh ingredients is a good move towards foodie nirvana. Personally I do not care how people do it but that they attempt to cook and eat things they never have done before.
Well then how come you get upset over your ethnic foods? AH HA!!!
It is because people are missing what could be the epiphany of what is really great italian food. I think that is what people are thinking when they have a preconcieved notion of what they deem is authentic. This is the key sticking point and as far as that goes it means that I have the problem, your dad has the problem, someone who wants to try to make great food and use great ingredients does NOT have the problem.
The use of the word "rich foodie people" and "wealthy people who can afford quality ingredients" are just plain laughable. The best Mexican and or Italian food, any ethnic food that is made at home is not made with expensive ingredients and you know that.
I get what he is saying, but again its a personal prejudice of his and mine.
I am very well aware of that fact.
As for Rick Bayless he went to Oaxaca and lived there (1980 to 1986 with his wife Deann) and learned to cook there making authentic dishes. I have much respect for Rick Bayless because his books taught me lots about Mexican cooking. Almost as much as what I learned from people who are ethnically Mexican.
JerzeeTomato at 9:32AM on 09/14/09
Excellent topic!
I'm pretty open-minded about trying something new, but I want to experience "authentic" food first, before tweaking anything.
Being Japanese I get annoyed when someone makes miso soup without dashi (don't get me started about sushi), but at the same time, I'm glad to see that people are becoming more familiar with Japanese ingredients, so I just keep my mouth shut (or I try very hard to).
I at least look up an unfamiliar dish on Wiki etc. to see what's behind the dish. I love learning about cultural influence or ingredient availability that shape a dish. After all, there are many common "traditional" dishes that are results of cultural fusions (like "Japanese" curry & rice, ramen etc).
As long as we respect the authentic version of foods and preserve old family recipes, making new variations of recipes is fine, IMO.
I deeply regret that I hadn't cooked with my grandma very much. Not that I can get the same ingredients here, but I don't think I can replicate my grandma's nimono. sniff.
hmw0029 at 11:06AM on 09/14/09
One of my peeves is when I go into a restaurant (admittedly, in suburbia) and see a dish on the menu which isn't attributed to that ethnic cuisine -- an experience I had with a coworker was her insisting that oyster motoyaki was a Chinese dish because she had had it at a Chinese restaurant. (And don't even get me started on this woman and General Tso's! I might be taking it personally because my family is Chinese, but...)
While I have no problem with changes and amendments to traditional dishes, it's frustrating to have this miseducation thrown around about ethnic cuisine, especially when people are really trying to make strides towards eating out of their comfort zone.
As long as we're discussing how to respect other cultures' dishes -- I often get the disgusted stinkeye when people hear that I enjoy eating oddball dishes like deep-fried chicken gizzards and other similarly peasant foods from my culture. I think a lot of folks are under the pretense that different ethnic cuisines are 'clean' -- for example, non-offal ingredients. While I understand the concern for keeping traditional dishes as pure as possible, it's also interesting to note that certain dishes are often catered to meet the tastes of the area.
avaryne at 11:16AM on 09/14/09
This is a very good topic because often we see our ethnic cuisine bastardized by some person or restaurant.
I once had a woman tell me she added campbell's tomato soup to her pasta sauce with brown sugar and worcestershire sauce. She smiled like she was Indiana Jones and found the Temple of Doom. I smiled back and said to her, "never say that to me again and we will be good," and walked away.
We all have passions in life things we hold important, defining and personal. Ethnic foods are one of those things. I have much respect for tradition, ethnic culture and the importance of food in all these things.
Great topic Pumpkin.
JerzeeTomato at 11:52AM on 09/14/09
I'll copy and paste what I wrote on another thread yesterday, since it is how I feel on this topic:
I'm of Japanese descent, but at some point stopped caring quite as much because everyone butche...re-interprets everyone else's food.
At home, we're free to do whatever. If it's a restaurant that claims to be authentic and serves fusion or nontraditional dishes, then I scrutinize what is being served. Even food native to a culture can transform.
====================
When it comes to restaurants who claim authenticity, I am worse than your father. When it comes to home cooking, I show much greater leniency.
It makes me happy that people are interested enough in my culture (Japanese and Okinawan) to want to recreate a dish. Sometimes adjustments have to be made due availability of ingredients and/or how it matches the natural diet of a certain region. It is not a fluke that certain zones/cultures tend to have spicy foods, higher fat content, etc.
Cassaendra at 12:42PM on 09/14/09
I sympathize with your Dad. It irritates me to no end when someone trots out ethnic cuisine as if he/she were the first to discover such a thing and I often lament that when something gets trendy, it often gets expensive.
On the other hand,
People discovering great food fills me with pride, especially if it's from my own background. Your Dad should see this "discovery" as a point of pride with bragging rights. After all, he's been eating this stuff far longer than some of these hacks. And most importantly, everyone is finding out just how good the cuisine is and enjoying just as he had.
AnnieNT at 2:00PM on 09/14/09
Food has continued to evolve over the years and continues to do so as people move from place to place. So I don't think there's really a "pure" cuisine from any culture. The United States has more people hailing from just about every country and culture in the world. That has resulted in the "fusion" cooking that has become so popular. I consider myself to be a purist, but only so far as the quality and handling of ingredients are concerned,
SavtaShayna at 2:28PM on 09/14/09
@Jerzee: You really made me laugh. Campbell's tomato soup, brown sugar, and worcestershire sauce in tomato sauce? That sounds DISGUSTING.
PumpkinBear at 3:08PM on 09/14/09
Some things, for lack of a better way to say it, just shouldnt be fucked with. Tradition is best. There are absolutely people that want to take things to the next level, deconstruct something, give it a fresh twist. Thats all bullshit. People like to add a bunch of crap to traditional things so they feel like they have actually accomplished something instead of dicking it up.
There are masters of the old school and will remain the masters. No matter how much cumin, sriracha, wasabi or any other "new and unique" thing someone adds, it doesnt change the fact that a classic will bust the balls of any new age hack job there is.
Tell your Dad to hold on tight, make a shitload of mole and watch as the youngsters always circle back to the old schoolers. HOWEVER, Rick Bayless aint no joke. I would jump at the chance to eat his food.
ChelleyD01 at 3:16PM on 09/14/09
My opinion is people can play with food all they want, I'll even try what they make.
Some of it will be good, some wont, but the recipes my daughter is taught by her mom are going to be hundreds of years old from Mexico.
It's nice to be creative and try new things but theres a respect that should be had for all time honored methods of preparation. If they've been doing it one way with one set of ingredients for 1000 years... it's probably really good.
Also if you're gonna change something, don't call the dish "Mexican ____" it's not, its a play off what WOULD have been Mexican food if it werent messed with.
AyeEat at 3:24PM on 09/14/09
Food evolves as cultures blend and people travel. Otherwise there would be no noodles in Italy, nor tomato sauce.
Mole would not exist without an influx of Spaniards and slaves.
Each culture's foods are a story of their history.
Not that long ago, in the USA, it was very foreign to eat Asian or even French cusines. Bananas were exotic and fresh citrus was a treat in the winter. Limes or pineapples- woah- what the heck were those? Mexican food? All we knew was the taco and that was exotic too. (This was in the 50's and 60's).
History and culture are changing very rapidly now. And many more formerly exotic foods and recipes have become popular--- much to my great eating pleasure.
Life's too short and food's too pleasureable to worry about whether someone else think's it's snobby or not. But that's just me-- simple, old folk from the Midwest meat and potato region of the heartlands.
BTW-- I've been in love with mole for years.
CJ McD at 3:33PM on 09/14/09
"I believe that people should make whatever they want with whatever food they can get as long as they are making food and not eating total crap."
I agree and cuisines would not have evolved to where they are today without someone adding twists to traditional recipes. However, when people start swapping out major components with very unique flavored ingredients or perhaps adding additional non-traditional ingredients, while continuing to refer to the dishes as their traditional names, that is when the anger is justified. A lot of people look up to celebrity chefs and the Food Network as authority figures and see their recipes as the real deal. I knew many who thought mayonnaise was a key ingredient in authentic guacamole because that's how their favorite "Mexican" restaurant made it or they found the recipe in a popular cookbook ages ago. With so many trying to make names for themselves in the food world these days through their restaurants, books, blogs, or whatever, we're going to see either more destroyers or more preservers.
Is it too hard to create an original name for a new creation? Instead we see, "It is sooooo good to be back! I just returned from South Korea and the bulgogi there was so delicious! I was experimenting in the kitchen last night and created this mouth-watering mango-chipotle bulgogi. Here's the recipe."
Where should the line be drawn?
Should someone be given a pass if they declare the truly authentic version is prepared this way with these ingredients but if some of these ingredients are hard too find, here are some substitutes that will keep the flavors and texture as close to the real thing as possible? Take Peruvian yellow pepper sauce (salsa de aji amarillo), for example. The authentic version calls for the pepper aji amarillo--what gives the sauce its unique color and taste. Steven Raichlen makes this known to the readers of his barbecue sauce book, yet he modified the recipe by substituting aji amarillo with yellow bell pepper (to provide color and flavor) and cayenne (heat) since the original pepper is probably hard to find. I personally don't have a problem with this. First, he makes it clear that his recipe is not authentic. Second, different peppers are blended to recreate the taste and kick of the aji amarillo.
Asado at 3:38PM on 09/14/09
When we find food we like from another culture we're doing what humans have always done - we're exploring the environment for what seems suitable and good to eat. Our forest is a lot bigger now, but this is what the hunger-gatherers did too. And they passed down what they learned, and that defined their culture. But there always had to be and will be adventurers who will try something new and help others add it to their store of cultural knowledge. Many of us don't have a strong ethnic identity that we are trying to preserve, and for any of us, when we embrace someone else's food traditions it can help us embrace them too.
I'm glad we've got people like your dad who are proud of their food heritage and become the keepers of the cultural flame. And I'm glad that I live in a culture where I can feel free to add to my own life's pleasure by dipping into what others have to teach about food.
lemonfair at 3:55PM on 09/14/09
That's a tough one. I can certainly understand the annoyance when someone from a different culture tries to imitate your culture and pass off a recipe as an authentic dish. I'm sure my risotto has many Italians rolling around in their graves right about now. But, that doesn't mean I don't admire the people that try to incorporate food from other cultures into their daily lives or recipe repertoires. I mean, isn't that what globalization and travelling is about?
Sometimes it's nearly impossible to make an authentic dish without the local ingredients but that doesn't mean the inspiration isn't authentic. A big factor to consider here is America: the melting pot of a whooole bunch of cultures. If you visit any major city, you'll find a place for Little Italy, Little India, Polish food, Mexican food, Chinatown, you name it. It's hard not to want to expand your horizons with all of these options so close together. So if you consider that most chefs get their inspiration from their favorite foods or foods they have tried, it's no wonder they're trying to make something from another culture. And like I said, I give them credit for it!
Chew on That at 5:07PM on 09/14/09
I think being fiercely proud of one's heritage (food or otherwise) is great. Part of the problem with the Internet is that there are a lot of people, like the example mentioned up thread, who try something once and then post their version of some classic recipe without necessarily making the caveat in the recipe text somewhere that they recognize that the dish isn't authentic because of x, y or z. They aren't thinking about authenticity; they're just thinking "Hey, that tasted good!" Then they press "publish" and don't think about it again. That can upset purists. On the other hand, there's plenty of regional recipes that traveled from one culture to another that became adapted over time into the local cuisine. Nanbanzuke comes to mind. I'm sure after the locals were exposed to whatever version of escabeche eventually led to nanbanzuke, the folks making it were not trying to hack on an "authentic cuisine" - more likely they were thinking "Dinner!" And it tasted good and they kept making it and eventually it became it's own thing. The internet just makes the spread of people's adaptations happen more quickly now, for better or for worse.
Amandarama at 6:11PM on 09/14/09
I think understanding the origin of a dish is important. Food shows us so much about history and culture when you think about it. I understand using sauces or techniques in new and innovative ways, but I think being a purist sometimes can be equally delicious if not more so. And even without trying to experiment, a traditional recipe will always vary with the person cooking it.
My SO's father experiments a lot with cooking. I always search my cookbooks looking for ways to impress the family. Usually it's the traditional recipes that get the rave reviews. Making a tortilla with odd ingredients has never gone over well. And patatas bravas with a side of romesco can be much more impressive than just roasted potatoes. They're simple and traditional, but they're also foods I grew up eating.
My mother had a way of making these dishes, and my grandmother had her way of making them, and when I went to Spain I discovered many other variations on favorite foods depending on the relative cooking that night. I will never make tortilla like my dad's and that's ok. I still think his is the best and mine is just ok, but my SO doesn't know what he's missing so it works out ok.
gingercookiewithlime at 9:23PM on 09/14/09
I think all food is a mixture of culture and life experiance. Like for example one mans taboo is anothers gourmet. I don't see why your Dad should feel bad about seeing another twist on a ancient recipe. The fact is everyone steals recipes. You can see this best in islands. Azores have thousands of mixtures of cultures and cuzines. I think your Dad is really missing out on alot. The French have Volute, Here in the US it's Gravy.
Pinupgirl4ever at 1:10AM on 09/15/09
What comes around, goes around.... Don't believe me?! Pass the fondue!
Next year it may be mole, the year after perhaps Romesco sauce... either way we will continue to rediscover old foods and make them new again.
Regarding Rick Bayless (LOVE the guy and his food) I Think it's great that Chef Bayless has brought "authentic" mexican food to the masses. Too bad some of these awful strip mall mexican places didn't have the guts to do the same.
Oh, the new up and coming sauce romesco? Here ya go!
Romesco Sauce
2 ea Roasted Tomatoes
3 ea garlic cloves
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/2 ea lime -- juice & zest
1 ea dried New Mexico pepper -- seeded and rehydrated
1 ea roasted red bell pepper -- cored
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
1/4 c blanched almonds
Place nuts in a food processor and process until well ground.
Add remaining ingredients process until smooth. Adjust consistency of sauce by adding olive oil if too thick.
Notes:
Sauce should be made a few hours in advance to allow flavors to mature.
Blanched filberts (hazelnuts) may be substituted for almonds or a combination may be used.
Pavlov at 9:49AM on 09/15/09
I wish I wasn't on vacation when this topic came up because i would love to have participated fully in it! Oh well, I'll put my two cents in anyways!
As part of my vacation, I was reading an interesting book called "Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors." While I have my own set of issues with the book, as someone of Indian heritage, it is interesting to read about foods and techniques that I consider "Indian" as actually being the influence of Invaders or foreign merchants.
Some examples:
--Tea was only drank for medicinal purposes until the Brits decided they had an untapped market that needed to buy their products!
--Potatoes, chili peppers and Tomatoes were also brought in by various merchants. I can't imagine cooking a lot of Indian food without those ingredients, especially tomatoes and chili peppers!
--Rice was also not a native dish. Can you imagine? My grandma did not consider a meal finished unless we had a bit of rice.
Anyway, one of the points of the book was to debunk the claim of authenticity in Indian cooking, so...well, as people we are a sum of our experiences. So as a cuisine, Indian food, or Italian or Mexican or Armenian, is a sum of It's experiences.
inothernews at 11:01AM on 10/04/09
Oh I hit post too soon, but that's okay, this way it gets broken into two easier-to-read comments.
The rub in all this is that I get annoyed with what people consider "curry," which doesn't exactly exist (get Raghavan Iyer's "660 Curries" where he discusses this. I swear I don't work for him, I just really like him). My husband made the mistake of ordering "curry" on our one chance to eat at Moosewood. I told him it was a mistake, which he realized when he got a dish that tasted more of turmeric than anything. The book I talked about also discusses "curries" and the Anglicization of the word as well as the food, which is interesting.
And @blitzcheetah, tell me about it re: Starbuck's "chai tea lattes." I die everytime someone order's one. My husband has a chai blog, though, which he is regularly updating again: www.chaientist.com. Brings up a second topic: are experiments with chai more authentic from us because we are Indian and less of a bastardization? Why do I think that it is okay for someone within the culture to mess with a food but from outside a culture it's showing a lack of respect?
inothernews at 11:06AM on 10/04/09