The issue of culinary cultural appropriation has been knocking around in my brain as of late. It’s a matter of lingering self-consciousness for me as a white urban food blogger. We tend to get self-congratulatory over having “discovered” restaurants or cuisines (meaning they’re not popular yet amongst fellow rich white people). Paying next to nothing for a meal becomes a point of pride – “cheap, sketchy food is always better,” we chirp knowingly, never questioning what this means for the chefs’ livelihoods. At its worst, cultural appropriation of food can even make access harder for those from the culture of origin. I’m far from the most qualified person to speak on the topic (read: it would behoove me and those like me to pass the mic once in a while), so here’s an assortment of links that cover it pretty well. They’re great food for thought. Pun intended.
Craving the Other by Soleil Ho
A Comic About Food and Cultural Appropriation by Shing Yin Khor
Cultural Appropriation: Let’s Talk Food by Tumblr user diggingforroots
most likely imported and pre-packaged. I’m not saying that everyone should throw out their quinoa or feel useless guilt for eating it. I am saying that it is a good example of where access to a traditional food has been appropriated by people in such a way as to make it inaccessible to the culture from which it comes.
Becca C-H
Mar 13, 2014 at 4:46 pm
Thanks so much for posting this. It was very timely for me. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently, but was not really sure where to begin. Cultural appropriation is a topic that I’ve struggled with a lot recently, and as someone who not only views myself as a lover of food, but someone deeply interested in food systems, I feel a strong lacking in my understanding of this particular topic. Thanks again.