The article written by Helier Cheung focuses on the case of Lucky Lee restaurant, which started the discussion about the cultural appropriation of food and respect for the authenticity of foreign cuisines. The article’s main objective is to raise the public’s awareness about authentic food traditions being adapted for a western audience and acknowledging it as disrespectful to culture. The author highlights important issues related to the theme of food and identity. Firstly, while western society is drawn to new, unique, unknown, and obscure things, for immigrants, food is an essential source of reuniting with their culture (Heldke). The article also draws on the theme of food in the context of social class identity, as white chefs have more chances to succeed even if they specialize in food from other cultures.
I agree that there is an unfair political separation of food from different cultures separated into expensive and cheap categories depending on cultural predisposition. The article states that average meals in Japanese or French restaurants cost more than meals in Chinese or Southern restaurants (Cheung). However, French and Japanese food is less laborious and nutritious than Chinese cuisine because it uses healthy vegetables, and preparation requires a lot of time and effort. The only part of the article that I disagree with is the discussion of whether a food expert from another culture is more competent than chefs raised in that culture. I believe that experience developed other the years of studying food traditions from a specific region equals scientific knowledge, eliminating the importance of the natal place component. The main takeaway from this reading is that food should be respected as it presents one of the essential elements of culture and part of the nation’s traditions.
Works Cited
Cheung, Helier. “Cultural Appropriation: Why is Food such a Sensitive Subject?” BBC News, 2019.
Heldke, Lisa. “Let’s Cook Thai: Recipes for Colonialism.” Food and Culture, edited by Carole Counihan and Penny Van Esterik, Routledge, 2012, pp. 394-407.