Growing up, I saw my mom cooking some of the most delicious Maharashtrian cuisine and never once did I question her cooking methods or ingredients. But as I started cooking by myself, I started exploring techniques, mimicking the ones that I had seen her perform. The idea of preserving the authenticity and not letting people get away with weird experiments with Indian cuisine was ingrained in my head. However, over the course of trying new and different techniques, I have realized that my way is not necessarily the only way to do it. Especially in terms of food, dietary limitations, geographical region, availability of ingredients and many more variables, we cannot limit ourselves to one set way of doing things.
So next time, if you feel like putting tofu cubes in Paneer masala, do it! If you want to add cinnamon sticks and oat milk to your chai, go ahead, because guess what- authenticity is highly overrated. Tina Choi, a.k.a., food content creator @doobydobap on Instagram, perfectly puts this idea in words: "Food is an edible piece of history, constantly evolving and changing." The point here is not to do it because you feel like doing it, but to do it with intention and purpose.
The constant pressure to maintain authenticity does a greater disservice to the original culture by sucking out the fun element and reducing exploration opportunities. Believe me, if it wasn't for the Chinese/Tibetan population immigrating to India, this world would have never experienced the wonders of Indo-Chinese cuisine, which originated in Calcutta, India. The two cultures blended to create something that can be enjoyed by a diverse population of people.
This is not just limited to food. Practicing and experiencing my culture from a Western perspective is okay as long as you maintain the sanctity of the culture and do not involve it in any offensive manner. People often feel awkward assimilating or adapting practices and modes of dressing, but it is important to remember that the end goal here is to experience the culture while maintaining a low-key attitude; the most respectful way of doing that is by not invoking any ridicule. For instance, Coldplay's “Hymn for the Weekend” did not just consolidate a stereotype but used it as an aesthetic, and added to the already amorphous idea of India. For the eyes of Western society, the slums of Mumbai served as a cool aesthetic. They felt sorry for bony kids running down the streets and felt satisfied with their superiority. Since colonial times, Western society has been revamping and preserving its hegemonic status by belittling and appropriating the realities of complex nations.
It’s important to remember to never, ever blur the lines between appreciation and appropriation. But, one of the greatest things about being a global citizen is accessing cultures from all over the world. We have access to a larger repertoire, and it is okay if we take from that larger pool of cultural experiences, as long as the result does not infringe on the overall message of the culture.
Ankita Bansode is a freshman studying political science pre-law and economics at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Ankita by emailing her at ab890621@ohio.edu.
