"ChattyCathy" ha scritto nel messaggio >



> Do you think that one can become an acknowledged "expert" at cooking>
> authentic cuisine(s) from other countries/regions without actually> living
> and/or studying a particular cuisine in the applicable> country/region of
> origin?
> Would taking a course (in your home country) or being taught 'how to' by>
> a relative/friend who came from that country/region do the trick?
>
> Any thoughts?

I have lots more thoughts than I am going to share, but I will say that I
didn't cook genuinely Italian until I studied it, cooked it and shopped for
it here. There are lots of reasons, but the hugest one is that the kitchen
is a part of the culture and until you get that you got nothing. As an
American I had attiitudes and habits that altered what I cooked. It could
be made easier, ahead of time, cheaper, spicier... I felt at liberty to
screw around with what was to me only a recipe, not an expression of
Christmas, Sunday lunch at Grandmas's or supper with my friend's family.
Another problem is ingredients, which can be more or less successfully
substituted, but without a lot of experience with the real thing, it's
damned hard to guess what will do.

(I do now screw around with recipes, but with some savvy behind the act and
a lot of Sunday lunches at Grandma's etc. behind me. I also can suggest
substitutes that work when they exist-- they don't always.)

Maybe a really dedicated learner could do better than I did, but the less
kitchen bafìggage they went in with the better the chances, I believe.