"Asian cuisine." These words may initially call to mind different thoughts from one person to the next. Asian cuisine can be further specified into several major regions: east, southeast, south, central, western, and north. Evidently, the various types of Asian food is diverse, but where did they truly originate from? And how did different regions develop their own "unique" style?
For one, the distinctions in cultural cuisine from one region to the next is due to environmental factors, such as available herbs, livestock, climate, and even religion. For example, Hinduism held cows in high regard and did not use them for meat. Though Asia has raw size and a coastline that spans over 62,800 km (39,022 mi), there has been substantial amounts of migration over its course of history. This resulted in the amalgamation of different ethnic and religious cultures that ultimately impact the development of what becomes to be the "standard regional cuisine".
Asian cuisines are impacted by each other and from other countries. India, for instance, has Persian-Arabian influences. In this sense, food cannot simply be deemed native to itself, as it is likely influenced by "other" nations or people at some time or another. Consider for example: If you are used to cooking food according to your own cultural background and decide to try cooking food from another cultural sphere, your past experiences with food influences the food you attempt to emulate. Most likely, it is no longer "authentic"; it becomes fusion. This makes you wonder, "Is any food "authentic" in the first place? What if it was fusion itself?"
Asian culture is becoming increasingly incorporated into mainstream American culture. Part of the reason some Americans are becoming interested in Asian cuisine is due to the health benefits of some of its ingredients. After all, Japan consistently has one of the highest average ages in the world. However, this adoption of food goes both ways, as the concept of fast food has made its way into many urban areas in Asia.
This clash of culture holds true for not only Asian and American food, but for many other cultural cuisines as well. Even broader, it becomes clear how the distinctions between cultures can blur over time, as one adopts the other and makes it part of its own. In this sense, different cultures may be more closely related than we realize. Hopefully, this integration of Asian culture signifies a larger acceptance of Asians and Asian Americans into American society.
Growing up in America, I was able to enjoy a vast variety of foods from many different cultures. However, after visiting Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan, I realized how different the cultures were and how different the food tasted, even if they were the same dish. I find it interesting how examining something as simple as food can reveal how cultures are constantly blending.
What is your experience with Asian food, culture, or people?
I think food is a great way to think about what Anzaldúa calls "third culture" or mestizaje, and as you point out in this blog, it's actually pretty hard to find an "authentic" meal that is not in some way influenced by some other culture. To my mind, this makes the whole idea of authenticity a little suspicious. For me, food is either delicious or not. There is a whole academic discipline about food history that is really fascinating. And we are living in one of the most exciting places and times right now for food fusion!
An eye opening article on how cultures join together through foods! As an Asian American, most of the food I ate were Asian foods, cooked from my parents. However, over time, I felt like the types of food the were making started to have some American twists to it, such as adding ketchup to some foods. I feel like a big part of this change was because the materials needed to cook Asian foods are not as easy to get in America, so slowly, Asian food gets intertwined with American foods too. I really liked how you expanded this to talk about how the increasing amounts of Asian cuisine would hopefully benefit foreigners acceptance in America. Great blog post!