Shower thoughts... About cultural appropriation

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So, I'll start with this is light. Not a deeeeeep meaningful thought it anything. More of a pondering.

Is it cultural appropriation to make recipes from other cultures? So for example, my 3yo niece and I read the book Chapatti Moon, and from that we made chappatis and some pakora.

Would it be (in some way) cultural appropriation? Or ... Maybe appreciation?

I would err to appreciation. However, I might be wrong! My reasoning is it we were learning about different foods from around the world and made them to experience them. Not "take" them as our own. If that makes sense?

As such is the British curry an appropriation? How to do "gate keep" things? Societies evolve and move on, partly due to external influences...

It must be a fine line for some things?

/End rambling

And the French, Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, French, Italians, various previous empires (Ottoman, Mongolian, Chinese, Roman)....

Thats the point the poster was making

Cultural appropriation is a load of cobblers.

I get that but, I have met Italians, for example (and I use that as only an example as it could be any other nationality but I am using Italy as just a general example) , who can not cook for toffee, who can barely cook an egg, who are not interested in cooking. I have also met non- Italian chefs, who has been trained to within an inch of their lives to cook some of the best Italian food imaginable. And these people are not Italian. Is that cultural appropriation?

It's great how you grow your own tea in Yorkshire too 😛

You're overthinking this.

Yes, I understand but I was responding to @ginghamstarfish

I know, thats the point they were making. The poster you responded to

(and it took me ages to scroll back and find the name of who you referred to, I wish there were post numbers on this site, its impossible to navigate, I hate it when people just put @ and a name, no reference point to where the post is)

I don’t think it’s cultural appropriation. If people are respectful I think it is ok. If is an anglicised version of something, then say that - it can still be yummy and easy to cook. In fact most of the dishes I cook from my culture are anglicised.

Ok then. Bantu knots instead of dreadlocks.

like when Adele got scolded for wearing her hair like this

@SteveHarringtonsChestHair mostly from Americans.

Im hoping she told them all to fuck off or just didnt respond at all

Poppycock as the MP said

Don't overthink it!
My teen dd has online friends from all over the world, we've recently had a couple of family weddings. An american friend was complimenting her make up and outfits (traditional) and said "I wish I could pull that off it looks so exotic etc but it's cultural appropriation". I heard my dd say "literally nobody from my culture cares, go for it" and then they did their make up together on facetime or whatever it was.
I mean, I see no harm in it either. 🤷‍♀️ My hairdresser asked me to "fix" her curry...it was rank and tasteless. I gave her a cooking lesson and gave her the masalas I use. I honestly don't understand how anyone could see that as wrong.

And another Italian owned and run by Kosovans.

Yes, I know of at least three Italian restaurants that are run by Albanians.

It's important to be completely meritocratic - good food is good food. If you look at this in an extreme way, Tayto crisps are cultural appropriation as is tomato sauce on pizza, tomato and potatoes are both are from the Americas originally.

Some of the best dishes I've had are merging skills and techniques of different cultures for example a Korean taco place, a mash up of Korean grilled meats, pickles and Mexican tacos or Indian butter chicken poutine, a mash up of the Quebeqoise poutine (chips, gravy and cheese curds), with a finisher of apple cinnamon samosas.

You only have to look to Malaysia which has some of the most interesting cuisine in Asia to see that the variation and looking outwards to others and learning from them elavates. Calling it cultural appropriation limits everything especially because at the heart of most of the "borrowing from other cultures" is a deep appreciation demonstrating how highly the person thinks of it. If they profit from it, good luck to them well done for making something inventive and delicious.

Yes! I feel that pressure (as a British Indian). Plus, don't forget the 'puffiness'

The world has gone mad
Every chef makes and profits from dishes from around the world in all countries
Every fish and chip shop in my home town is owned by non english - who cares ?

Cultural appropriation applies to sheep as well

I don't see who Adele was harming wearing her hair like that. It's offense about nothing but the Americans are weird about that stuff.

Well I saw the thread title and wondered how the hell taking a shower could be counted as cultural appropriation. 😊

No you're fine, keep making chapatis, they're great.

I thought about this a lot in recent years and came to the conclusion that cultural appropriation is a misnomer used to cover cultural imbrication, cultural appreciation and cultural exploitation .

Cultural exploitation is the issue, but appreciation and imbrication are policed the same by keyboard vigilantes.

My concern is this rhetoric makes people wary of cultural appreciation and is actually decisive in itself.

I'm from a very diverse area and IME people love sharing their culture. You know the spirit with which your engaging in other cultures and whether it's exploitative or not.

It's a strange thing to police anyway, you can't know someone's heritage, ethnicity or culture instantly.

I'll admit to eating Shepherd's Pie and I'm not a shepherd, in fact I haven't even got one sheep.

Which raises the thought that 'the word sheep is both plural and singular, how many other words are like that?'

My Indian grandfather taught me to make chapattis. My Indian mother and grandmother taught me to make curry. I have white skin like my father.

The term cultural appropriation is a very poor fit for those of us with mixed heritage. Skin tone does not denote cultural heritage.

Aside from that, cooking is about sharing and appreciating different culture. Enjoy it!

I would be devastated if it was!

Posted too soon. Most of the food I eat does not come from my English or Scottish heritage!