On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 21:31:58 -0400, Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:

> wrote:
>>The Julia thread (and a few other recent threads) got me to thinking
>>about this...
>>Do you think that one can become an acknowledged "expert" at cooking
>>authentic cuisine(s) from other countries/regions without actually
>>living and/or studying a particular cuisine in the applicable
>>country/region of origin?
>
> It would be hard to become a truly accomplished master of another culture's
> cuisine without living there, if only because the daily ways in which people
> cook and eat wouldn't always come through in cooking courses, private
> experimentation or cookbooks. There is also the question of different
> ingredients that may not be available outside the country under consideration.
> Still, I think one can learn a lot about different cuisines without living in
> those cultures. I already knew a lot about Indian food before actually going
> there on a research grant in 2000.
>
>>Would taking a course (in your home country) or being taught 'how to' by
>>a relative/friend who came from that country/region do the trick?
>
> I think it would do some but not all of the trick. Who's to say that the person
> teaching is considered the best cook? Even if they're good at specific dishes,
> that may not mean they're great at everything. So, I think comparison is very
> useful. Through comparison, regional variants and individual family touches
> stand out.
>
> Orlando

and who's to say that being a native makes you 'great at everything'? does
it mean you got rhythm?

blake