FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Specializing in cuisines from other countries/regions

Gregory Morrow[_306_]

blake murphy wrote:

> 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?

Lotsa "natives" in Africa, seems not to prevent many of them from
starving...

--
Best
Greg