Exploring the Different Meanings Attributed to Curry in England, United States and India.
Curry is a dish originally coming from India but it has been so deeply incorporated in the dishes of the Western world that curry, in the modern times, is not regarded exclusively as an Indian food. Colonialism can be seen in the food we eat. Curry is one example of how a dish is colonized and changed. Immigrants adapt to their new country, often assimilating into the culture of the country they immigrated to. Changing their lifestyle, language and culture is a way to be assimilated into their new country. This also holds true with food. Food is also colonized and changed in order to satisfy the palate of the people tasting the food for the first time. Curry in England and the US is not as spicy as the curry in India, it has been toned down and does not have as much spice as the original recipe. In the early times when the British empire colonized India, the British incorporated their own version of curry by coming up with their own curry powder. It purely reflects the way by which the British colonized Indian society by incorporating their laws, structures and culture mixing it with domestic rule.
Food is often the basis by which people differentiate themselves from other culture. This holds true for ethnic foods or in the modern days referred to as exotic foods. Westerners or tourist and travelers going to Asia for example, they try out exotic Asian cuisines to experience the culture and the way of life of the country they are visiting. These tourist then go back to their country and talk about the weird tasting dishes theyve tried out, giving them a little bit of prestige among their peers. There are others who refuse to try out ethnic foods simply because they think that they cannot bear to eat such disgusting food and that they ought to stick with their own food which is much better and tastier. There is a hint of racism and a feeling of superiority in this case.
In the grocery store, there are a lot of products that has been colonized by other countries. Even Asia has assimilated some of the food in the West and made their own version of it. Take into account the spaghetti sauce, there is a brand showing that the sauce is definitely Italian and it guarantees to make the spaghetti originally Italian tasting. There are other brands that says they are Mexican style or sweet style Asian spaghetti sauce. These clearly shows the adaptation of food and the borrowing of a recipe and incorporating their own flavor and spices.
Culinary imperialism has its positive and negative views. On the positive side of culinary imperialism, every culture can learn from other culture through exchange and sharing of ideas especially in food preparations. Consumers would have a lot of option in the grocery whether to get a locally tasting dish or the same dish but given an oriental flavor.
The negative side of culinary imperialism is that the food loses its identity. This means that a certain food which has been changed and given different flavors throughout the years will not have a distinct sense of identity. An example of this is the hamburger which originally came from the United States but was so widely accepted by the whole world that it is almost no longer known as an American food.
Food is just one of the things that is distinct to every culture. In the modern times, this gap is slowly being bridged out. Culinary imperialism is being replaced by a new way of thinking. We do not colonize food, we simply borrow, enhance and do a bit of changes with a sense of respect its origins and culture.
Food is often the basis by which people differentiate themselves from other culture. This holds true for ethnic foods or in the modern days referred to as exotic foods. Westerners or tourist and travelers going to Asia for example, they try out exotic Asian cuisines to experience the culture and the way of life of the country they are visiting. These tourist then go back to their country and talk about the weird tasting dishes theyve tried out, giving them a little bit of prestige among their peers. There are others who refuse to try out ethnic foods simply because they think that they cannot bear to eat such disgusting food and that they ought to stick with their own food which is much better and tastier. There is a hint of racism and a feeling of superiority in this case.
In the grocery store, there are a lot of products that has been colonized by other countries. Even Asia has assimilated some of the food in the West and made their own version of it. Take into account the spaghetti sauce, there is a brand showing that the sauce is definitely Italian and it guarantees to make the spaghetti originally Italian tasting. There are other brands that says they are Mexican style or sweet style Asian spaghetti sauce. These clearly shows the adaptation of food and the borrowing of a recipe and incorporating their own flavor and spices.
Culinary imperialism has its positive and negative views. On the positive side of culinary imperialism, every culture can learn from other culture through exchange and sharing of ideas especially in food preparations. Consumers would have a lot of option in the grocery whether to get a locally tasting dish or the same dish but given an oriental flavor.
The negative side of culinary imperialism is that the food loses its identity. This means that a certain food which has been changed and given different flavors throughout the years will not have a distinct sense of identity. An example of this is the hamburger which originally came from the United States but was so widely accepted by the whole world that it is almost no longer known as an American food.
Food is just one of the things that is distinct to every culture. In the modern times, this gap is slowly being bridged out. Culinary imperialism is being replaced by a new way of thinking. We do not colonize food, we simply borrow, enhance and do a bit of changes with a sense of respect its origins and culture.
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