Lost in Translation: How Dishes Evolve

The Late Night Gourmet

The Late Night Gourmet

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I'm not sure if it's the same in other countries as it is in the States, but I automatically assume that whatever ethnic food I eat here is probably different in some way than the way it originated in the Old Country. For example, I'm fairly certain that any "Chinese" restaurant over here almost certainly serves a modified version of what's served in China. Mexican restaurants labeled as "authentic" are often not. All of this, I know, is because of the relationship between immigrants and potential customers at restaurants they open in their new country. The restaurant owners want customers, so they will modify the food to suit the generally bland American palate.

It's not always a change in the dish to make it more boring. I am reminded of this in seeing MypinchofItaly comment on Alfredo Pasta. As she notes, the usual preparation is Pasta Burro e Parmigiano, which means butter with parmigiano reggiano. There are two interesting articles about this:
Knowing boring American palates (since most of my extended family have them), I can see how this evolved: butter and cheese is good, so butter, cheese and cream is even better!

I know there is certainly a place for authentic food, regardless of where you go. But, it seems that the process at a high level goes something like this:
  • Authentic cuisine too spicy? Lower the spice level.
  • Authentic cuisine uses unusual components? Replace them with more familiar components or get rid of them.
  • Authentic cuisine is relatively healthy? Add heavier components.
Needless to say, when a family member tells me that the food at a certain restaurant is "great", I am skeptical.
 
And when I go to other countries, I don't expect the food to taste like it does at home. And I would never go to Mexico and order a cheeseburger or traditional American fare. Part of the excitement in visiting other countries is to taste authentic cuisine. I love going to tacquerias in Mexico and I know going in that the flavors are going to be very different than what I eat in the US. I also know that in Cancun a dish might have different flavors and components that if I ordered the same thing in Cabos San Lucas. How thrilling this is to me! My husband and I ordered fajitas at a restaurant on Cozumel Island and it did not come with shredded cheese, which is standard in the US. No complaints, the fajitas were outstanding!
 
<sweeping generalisation alert>

I note that Americans do like to add cheese to most things, just as Malaysians have a habit of slapping a fried egg on everything.

Here in the UK we seem to expect all our curries to come with lashings of thick spicy gravy which is certainly far from authentic but very easy for restaurants to serve up.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
<sweeping generalisation alert>

I note that Americans do like to add cheese to most things, just as Malaysians have a habit of slapping a fried egg on everything.

Here in the UK we seem to expect all our curries to come with lashings of thick spicy gravy which is certainly far from authentic but very easy for restaurants to serve up.
Click to expand...
Speaking of fried eggs: putting beans and eggs on the plate together seems very strange to me, but apparently this is common in the UK? And what is this fixation on mushy peas?
 
JAS_OH1 said:
Speaking of fried eggs: putting beans and eggs on the plate together seems very strange to me, but apparently this is common in the UK? And what is this fixation on mushy peas?
Click to expand...

The full English Breakfast:

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The Late Night Gourmet said:
I'm not sure if it's the same in other countries as it is in the States, but I automatically assume that whatever ethnic food I eat here is probably different in some way than the way it originated in the Old Country. For example, I'm fairly certain that any "Chinese" restaurant over here almost certainly serves a modified version of what's served in China. Mexican restaurants labeled as "authentic" are often not. All of this, I know, is because of the relationship between immigrants and potential customers at restaurants they open in their new country. The restaurant owners want customers, so they will modify the food to suit the generally bland American palate.

It's not always a change in the dish to make it more boring. I am reminded of this in seeing MypinchofItaly comment on Alfredo Pasta. As she notes, the usual preparation is Pasta Burro e Parmigiano, which means butter with parmigiano reggiano. There are two interesting articles about this:
Knowing boring American palates (since most of my extended family have them), I can see how this evolved: butter and cheese is good, so butter, cheese and cream is even better!

I know there is certainly a place for authentic food, regardless of where you go. But, it seems that the process at a high level goes something like this:
  • Authentic cuisine too spicy? Lower the spice level.
  • Authentic cuisine uses unusual components? Replace them with more familiar components or get rid of them.
  • Authentic cuisine is relatively healthy? Add heavier components.
Needless to say, when a family member tells me that the food at a certain restaurant is "great", I am skeptical.
Click to expand...
Great elaboration! I will read both articles on Alfredo...!
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
<sweeping generalisation alert>

I note that Americans do like to add cheese to most things, just as Malaysians have a habit of slapping a fried egg on everything.

Here in the UK we seem to expect all our curries to come with lashings of thick spicy gravy which is certainly far from authentic but very easy for restaurants to serve up.
Click to expand...
There was/is (don't know) a restaurant here called Bennigan's. Our family went out for dinner one night and all our dishes had some form of cheese. My father is not the nicest person (okay, he's not nice at all ;-). He asked for a piece of bread. Cheese on top. He asked for toast. Cheese on top. He asked for a dinner roll. Yep, cheese on top. He got so ticked off that we all just ate in total silence. I don't think we ever returned to that chain while I lived with them.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
<sweeping generalisation alert>

I note that Americans do like to add cheese to most things, just as Malaysians have a habit of slapping a fried egg on everything.

Here in the UK we seem to expect all our curries to come with lashings of thick spicy gravy which is certainly far from authentic but very easy for restaurants to serve up.
Click to expand...
I would never put cheese on beans, LOL. Yeah in most cases I do like some cheese, but not with fruit (a lot of people like that) or preserves or jams, and I am sure there are other things. But I do like cheesy scrambled eggs, cheese on toast, cheeseburgers, parmesan cheese on pizza and pasta, and many more.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
<sweeping generalisation alert>

I note that Americans do like to add cheese to most things, just as Malaysians have a habit of slapping a fried egg on everything.

Here in the UK we seem to expect all our curries to come with lashings of thick spicy gravy which is certainly far from authentic but very easy for restaurants to serve up.
Click to expand...
Very good observstion! And socially and historically one may wonder why? Cheese adds calories, so maybe it was a way to make a calorie thin meal fuller, or maybe for the calcium and bone health, and the egg, is a nutrition-packed heaven, full of iron, so maybe to compensate for possible iron deficient ingredients...I don't know...i might be babbling nonsense...but like avoiding meat in certain religious contexts, it had, or so some say, a very down to earth reason, no refrigerators, bacteria spreading fast on 40c etc...
Now the gravy, I have no idea? Exaggeration...as you say it is far from authentic...
 
mjd said:
There was/is (don't know) a restaurant here called Bennigan's. Our family went out for dinner one night and all our dishes had some form of cheese. My father is not the nicest person (okay, he's not nice at all ;-). He asked for a piece of bread. Cheese on top. He asked for toast. Cheese on top. He asked for a dinner roll. Yep, cheese on top. He got so ticked off that we all just ate in total silence. I don't think we ever returned to that chain while I lived with them.
Click to expand...
He obviously has no idea what some restaurant employees will do to the food of people who are not nice. It's unfortunate, but ugly things go on in kitchens at times when customers are mean to the staff and it's not an open kitchen for them to see it.
 
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JAS_OH1 said:
He obviously has no idea what some restaurant employees will do to the food of people who are not nice. It's unfortunate, but ugly things go on in kitchens at times when customers are mean to the staff and it's not an open kitchen for them to see it.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't have mattered. He didn't touch any of the bread or his food. He was too busy being a jerk.
 
Very interesting theme. I like how big empires like the romans or osman folk changed the eating habits of a whole continent and more or less destroyed/renewed everything traditional in that area.
Stay healthy
 
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