Modern life increases our ability to absorb, adapt and appropriate various cultural traditions. In fact, cross-cultural exchange is credited for countless innovations and global advancements. This evolution or appropriation fundamentally changes the nature of a thing, so it is often accompanied with great tension and criticism — a sense of loss. We witness this in the built environment when cities embrace modern technology and economic development over preserving vernacular architecture and historic neighborhoods. This tension also exists around the adoption or fusion of culinary traditions.
What foods we eat and the experiences we develop around those meals slowly seeps into our identity and contributes to who we are. Some culinary traditions are quite sophisticated, have been developed over centuries and are associated with specific geographic regions and people groups. When these traditions are threatened, governments have even stepped in to protect or regulate food preparation and production.
I lived in India as a young child and developed a taste for curry and warm chapatis. Unfortunately, I have never been able to replicate the flavors or experience here in the US. I confess when I do go to an “Indian” restaurant, I often order chicken tikka masala. I know this is not a traditional Indian dish and was developed by Indian cooks while living in Great Britain. Regardless, if you can look past the imperialistic history, I consider the dish one of the greatest cross-cultural productions of the 20th century.I will also confess that I occasionally eat Taco Bell. I know the food does not resemble authentic Mexican cuisine, but I find the double decker taco is strangely satisfying.
Perhaps the real offense is labeling or insinuating that the food served at Taco Bell is “Mexican” food. Whatever it is, it is clearly less sophisticated and should be considered something completely different.
The same can be said of the food we often encounter at “Chinese” restaurants in the United States. Interestingly, after WWII Chinese cuisine in the U.S. bifurcated. I have traveled to China and can attest that the food that is popularly considered “Chinese” in the US does not represent Chinese culinary traditions. The real question is should we expect purity, or can we simply enjoy the food for what it is? Is it important to give attribution to the source or inspiration of a thing, and, when does that attribution dishonor or threaten the authentic practice? When does appropriation and adaptation dishonor or insult another’s identity? The work shown here is one piece in a series of sculptures that explore these important questions. The “Chinese” take-out box was originally developed by an American in the late 1800s to hold raw oysters but has since become an icon of “Chinese” food in the West.