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

Fish. Deer. Aircraft.

Species. Moose

Reindeer

Fruit

Cod

..

Don't be silly!

Cookery is always taking things from one place and adding it to another.

Ever had curry and chips from a chip shop? I doubt you would get that in Delhi?

I've shared houses with people from a variety of countries / cultures including an Indian girl who couldn't cook, apart from fish finger sandwiches.

She was quite happy to eat my curries.

I went to her wedding, well three days of it, and I was encouraged to have mendhi on my hands and wear Indian clothing, I finally got to wear the silk sari I bought in Mauritius.

I also had a piece of red string wrapped round my wrist.

Had I turned up wearing a kara on my wrist and a kirpan in my belt - that would be cultural appropriation and down right insulting to the people for whom those items have a significant meaning.

No. Cultural appropriation is absolutely not eating or cooking food from another culture. Cultural appropriation is, for example, a non native wearing a Native American war bonnet. There is absolutely nothing harmful or offensive about an English person cooking Indian food and I really wish we could get this clear as it’s a v tedious misunderstanding.

Exactly. People who misunderstand cultural appropriation are basically arguing for segregation. Which...isn't progressive.

So those Turks and Asians running fish and chip shops are guilty of cultural appropriation?
Our best chinese is run by asians and the 'famous' turkish restaurant by me is run by white eastenders .
For goodness sake, take a break from looking at the next thing to be offended by, enjoy life, enjoy food!!

It all confuses me.
I have no idea any more what is OK and what isn't.

I am an Aussie… I eat finger limes, Davidson & Kakdu plums, as well as lemon myrtle seeds in regular recipes. (And cocktails…) While my family has been here for eight generations on one side and nine on the other, my background is mixed Scandinavian, Scottish, Spanish, Portuguese (Sephardic Jewish), Russian, Estonian, Dutch, German, Jamaican, entire UK and French. As a white Aussie, I can truly say that we have no genuine “traditional Aussie” recipes. They have all been absorbed from everywhere else and adapted - rather like the absolute favourite meal, Chicken Tikka Masala - that’s actually an English recipe. Oh, and tomatoes and potatoes were originally from the Americas. I genuinely believe that you are over-thinking things.

This.

I think a lot depends on the thing you are "copying" and the history behind it.

There’s no such thing as cultural appropriation 🙄 unless you are literally wearing another cultures traditional outfit as a costume and taking the piss out of it. Like native American headdresses.

Otherwise where does it stop? As a Jew I demand you all stop having your day off on a saturday. That’s appropriation. Stop eating bagels. If you curl your hair, well more appropriation. Disgusting.
/s

Or a Native American wearing a business suit?
Or anyone non Scottish weaning tartan.

It's bollocks. People looking for reasons to be offended.
Wasn't chocolate significant to the Aztecs?
Tomatoes & potatoes come from S/C America should we stop eating them?
Carrots come from Afghanistan and the red ones were specifically bred to honour the House of Orange so we shouldn't eat them unless we're from the Netherlands.
We're just picky about what we choose to be concerned about.

Ditto.

Seems to me it is fine to cook other cultures food, wear some of their clothes but heaven forbid you dare wear cornrows....

Fair enough, I'll get my coat.

Well, one of them.

Jesus wept !

'Fish' is an interesting one - if you are talking about multiple fish of the same species then the usual correct plural form is 'fish'. If you are describing multiple species of fish then the plural is 'fishes'.

The menu from when Jesus fed the five thousand is usually described as 'five loaves and two fishes' but I think that's more because it scans better.

I don’t think that either.

It has more to do with the attitude you take when using <insert cooking/clothes etc>
So a white English person wearing traditional Indian clothes at a traditional Indian wedding and is doing so out if respect for that culture is ok.
A white English person wearing traditional Indian clothes at a traditional Indian wedding ‘because it’s fun to dress up and have you seen what they wear lol?!?’ Is crap. (Heard in RL too)
Its about respect. It’s about the intent behind wearing those clothes or cooking that food. It’s about thinking it’s ok to appropriate a way of cooking and make it yours whilst assuming that what you do is better than the original (or that the original is laughable etc…).

Which is also why you never hear about cultural appropriation with western clothes/food. Only about ethnic food/clothing etc….
Because the disrespect is based in racism and thinking white people are better than…

What utter nonsense.

Whats nonsense?

You sounded like you were in agreement with them?

According to lots of Italians, very much so. They HATE him over there. It’s very funny.

As if!

Most Italians in Italy have probably never heard of him, let alone invest enough outrage to HATE him

What about his Italian mentor and friend, do they HATE him as well?

OP. Food keeps us alive and provides us with nutrition. Why should anyone be denied access to certain foods based on their race? In thinking so hard about NOT being racist you ARE being racist.

No, absolutely not in agreement with them. I just wanted them to clarify because it was such an outlandish thing to say. The claim that to cook some other countries food, even if you are not from there, is cultural appropriation is complete and utter nonsense. That’s what I meant.

I thought they were arguing the opposite, they were pointing out the nonsense, which you then repeated (that it cant be the case), and I then said they were making the same point as you.

I am also in agreement that its nonsense.

I take it you haven’t spent much time in Italy, then? 😂

Jamie is very well known there (as he is globally) and very much disliked. Gennaro Contaldo is regarded as a sellout, so they aren’t that fond of him either, no. The fact that this apparently surprises you (and that you are an adult in 2022 who says ‘as if’) is making this even funnier.