http://dcentric.wamu.org/2011/07/homecooking-middle-eastern-italian-food/ Race, Class, The District. Mon, 16 Jul 2012 03:01:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://dcentric.wamu.org/2011/07/homecooking-middle-eastern-italian-food/#comment-723 lemongrass Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:28:00 +0000 http://dcentric.wamu.org/?p=9035#comment-723 Keep in mind that "Italian" cooking is as diverse as the regions of that country. Same with Indian cuisine, so different in the north than it is in the south. I think the whole notion of the authenticity of any cuisine is tricky...things are always changing due to the availability of ingredients and the inventiveness of the chef. Keep in mind that “Italian” cooking is as diverse as the regions of that country. Same with Indian cuisine, so different in the north than it is in the south. I think the whole notion of the authenticity of any cuisine is tricky…things are always changing due to the availability of ingredients and the inventiveness of the chef.

]]> http://dcentric.wamu.org/2011/07/homecooking-middle-eastern-italian-food/#comment-722 KGC31 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:27:00 +0000 http://dcentric.wamu.org/?p=9035#comment-722 I wonder how different things would be if more women were opening up these restaurants instead of men. My Egyptian father learned the restaurant business from Greeks and ended up owning a Greek food truck (back in the 80s before they were popular) and then a classic NJ diner. He still to this day cannot cook a single Egyptian meal but can whip up an amazing Moussaka. My mom, on the other hand, picked up the Greek/diner fare from the family business, but nothing compares to her classic Egyptian dishes. I wonder how different things would be if more women were opening up these restaurants instead of men. My Egyptian father learned the restaurant business from Greeks and ended up owning a Greek food truck (back in the 80s before they were popular) and then a classic NJ diner. He still to this day cannot cook a single Egyptian meal but can whip up an amazing Moussaka. My mom, on the other hand, picked up the Greek/diner fare from the family business, but nothing compares to her classic Egyptian dishes.

]]> http://dcentric.wamu.org/2011/07/homecooking-middle-eastern-italian-food/#comment-721 rmpmcdermott Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:21:00 +0000 http://dcentric.wamu.org/?p=9035#comment-721 To further the debate from the last post and to address this one directly as well, I don't think you need to be Italian to produce authentic Italian food and the same goes for any food that is defined by a region or culture. If you care enough about the food and the tradition and you study the culture and the reasons behind the food then you can make great food from any culture outside of your own. It's all about respect to me. Respect for the culture. Respect for the ingredients. In fact I've had Italian food cooked by non-Italians who really cared about the food and it was way better than food I've had by Italians who clearly didn't care. To further the debate from the last post and to address this one directly as well, I don’t think you need to be Italian to produce authentic Italian food and the same goes for any food that is defined by a region or culture. If you care enough about the food and the tradition and you study the culture and the reasons behind the food then you can make great food from any culture outside of your own. It’s all about respect to me. Respect for the culture. Respect for the ingredients. In fact I’ve had Italian food cooked by non-Italians who really cared about the food and it was way better than food I’ve had by Italians who clearly didn’t care.

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