UNIT 9: TRAVELING AND CULTURE
My name‿ is Hassan. I cook‿ a lot,│ and‿ I have given‿ up‿ arguing‿ about‿ authenticity,│ because the argument‿ is‿ unwinnable‿ an(d) the food‿ is more‿ interesting without‿ it.
Almost‿ everything we call traditional‿ is‿ an‿ adaptation. Tomatoes reached‿ Italy in the sixteenth century,│ chillies reached‿ India from the Americas,│ an(d) the curry I learned from my neighbour contains‿ eight spices,│ of which two arrived‿ a century ago. Fusion‿ is not‿ a modern crime;│ it‿ is the normal condition‿ of‿ a food culture,│ an(d) globalisation has simply accelerated‿ a process that has been running for five hundred years.
What‿ is worth defending‿ is not purity but quality an(d) knowledge. I want towanna know│ which‿ ingredient‿ is doing the work,│ why the seasoning‿ is‿ added‿ at that moment,│ an(d) what the dish‿ is for:│ celebration,│ comfort,│ or‿ economy. My wife's pasta is simple‿ an(d) perfect│ because she learned from her mother,│ not from‿ a video. My son‿ is vegetarian,│ so we have‿ adapted the family recipes,│ and‿ I would rather have‿ an‿ adapted version cooked properly than‿ an‿ authentic version cooked badly. If you want towanna understand‿ a country,│ eat what people cook‿ at home,│ not what‿ appears‿ on‿ a menu for visitors.