4 ms·

Culinary Diplomacy

54 points by indiantinker 5y ago

legerdemain 5y ago
It's surprising how many ethnic cuisines that have become more ubiquitous in the US in the last decade or two match up so well to their home nations offering marketing and financial assistance to potential restaurant owners. Maybe it's not our palates telling us to eat more Korean bulgogi and Peruvian fried chicken, as much as those countries paying money to put those dishes in front of us.
- anonporridge 5y ago
  It does seem like it would be a bit harder to manufacture consent from the people to drop bombs on a country if tons of people have a strong, positive association with their food. Seems like a similar effect as foreign exchange programs. It's harder to start a war with someone when tons of your own people have friends and family there and won't fall for the racist, dehumanizing 'othering' of the people who live there.
  - legerdemain 5y ago
    Sure! To pick a specific example, diners in the US have only the warmest regard for the Thai military kleptocracy, periodic coups, and political imprisonment of opposition leaders. (Obviously, only Thai royalists get financial aid to open restaurants overseas.)
    - legerdemain 5y ago
      Not to mention the chain restaurants run by North Korea overseas.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyongyang_(restaurant_chain) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyongyang_(restaurant_chain)
s5300 5y ago
Culinary Diplomacy now, Spice Trade Genocide in the not so distant past…
- arrakis2021 5y ago
  The spice must flow.
- manachar 5y ago
  Our foodways still often have less than savory actualities, often filled with exploitation, environmental destruction, and far too often, literal slavery. From chocolate to ahi, we would be fools to think that the way we desire to eat doesn't some things that could be done better.
ncpa-cpl 5y ago
Sometimes at home I end up with "non matching" ingredients from different cousines. Like once I cooked Arabic Maftoul/Marmahon seasoned like Korean Dangmyeon. Another day BBQ Ribs with Korean Mirim.
- divbzero 5y ago
  Ah, a fellow practitioner of fusion cuisine [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_cuisine
distantaidenn 5y ago
Fun story: One night, in Tokyo, was walking to the store. There was this well lit, tree-lined path from my house (at the time) to said store. On this path was one of the few remaining payphones I've seen (or paid attention to), in some time. I saw an older gentleman using this payphone -- which in this day and age was strange enough, so it caught my eye. As he was exiting, he dropped some cards from his wallet, and seemed to not notice, so I picked them up and handed them to him. He thanked me, then asked in pretty decent English where I was from. After some brief chatting, turns out the guy was in his 70s, had studied in the US and France when he was younger, and is currently a shipwreck hunter -- pretty wild background! Anyway, he told me about living in the States as a Japanese immigrant way back when, and how back then people would scoff at Japanese cuisine. Saying it smelled bad, and no one wanted to eat raw fish. Pretty much, no one liked it -- at least according to him. Of course, fast forward a few decades, and Americans seem to not be able to get enough sushi in their mouths! Go figure...

54 points by indiantinker 5y ago

It's surprising how many ethnic cuisines that have become more ubiquitous in the US in the last decade or two match up so well to their home nations offering marketing and financial assistance to potential restaurant owners. Maybe it's not our palates telling us to eat more Korean bulgogi and Peruvian fried chicken, as much as those countries paying money to put those dishes in front of us.

anonporridge 5y ago
It does seem like it would be a bit harder to manufacture consent from the people to drop bombs on a country if tons of people have a strong, positive association with their food. Seems like a similar effect as foreign exchange programs. It's harder to start a war with someone when tons of your own people have friends and family there and won't fall for the racist, dehumanizing 'othering' of the people who live there.
- legerdemain 5y ago
  Sure! To pick a specific example, diners in the US have only the warmest regard for the Thai military kleptocracy, periodic coups, and political imprisonment of opposition leaders. (Obviously, only Thai royalists get financial aid to open restaurants overseas.)
  - legerdemain 5y ago
    Not to mention the chain restaurants run by North Korea overseas.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyongyang_(restaurant_chain) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyongyang_(restaurant_chain)

s5300 5y ago

Culinary Diplomacy now, Spice Trade Genocide in the not so distant past…

arrakis2021 5y ago
The spice must flow.
manachar 5y ago
Our foodways still often have less than savory actualities, often filled with exploitation, environmental destruction, and far too often, literal slavery. From chocolate to ahi, we would be fools to think that the way we desire to eat doesn't some things that could be done better.

ncpa-cpl 5y ago

Sometimes at home I end up with "non matching" ingredients from different cousines. Like once I cooked Arabic Maftoul/Marmahon seasoned like Korean Dangmyeon. Another day BBQ Ribs with Korean Mirim.

divbzero 5y ago
Ah, a fellow practitioner of fusion cuisine [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_cuisine

distantaidenn 5y ago

Fun story: One night, in Tokyo, was walking to the store. There was this well lit, tree-lined path from my house (at the time) to said store. On this path was one of the few remaining payphones I've seen (or paid attention to), in some time. I saw an older gentleman using this payphone -- which in this day and age was strange enough, so it caught my eye. As he was exiting, he dropped some cards from his wallet, and seemed to not notice, so I picked them up and handed them to him. He thanked me, then asked in pretty decent English where I was from. After some brief chatting, turns out the guy was in his 70s, had studied in the US and France when he was younger, and is currently a shipwreck hunter -- pretty wild background! Anyway, he told me about living in the States as a Japanese immigrant way back when, and how back then people would scoff at Japanese cuisine. Saying it smelled bad, and no one wanted to eat raw fish. Pretty much, no one liked it -- at least according to him. Of course, fast forward a few decades, and Americans seem to not be able to get enough sushi in their mouths! Go figure...