FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Specializing in cuisines from other countries/regions

Orlando Enrique Fiol

wrote:
>The Julia thread (and a few other recent threads) got me to thinking
>about this...
>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?

It would be hard to become a truly accomplished master of another culture's
cuisine without living there, if only because the daily ways in which people
cook and eat wouldn't always come through in cooking courses, private
experimentation or cookbooks. There is also the question of different
ingredients that may not be available outside the country under consideration.
Still, I think one can learn a lot about different cuisines without living in
those cultures. I already knew a lot about Indian food before actually going
there on a research grant in 2000.

>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?

I think it would do some but not all of the trick. Who's to say that the person
teaching is considered the best cook? Even if they're good at specific dishes,
that may not mean they're great at everything. So, I think comparison is very
useful. Through comparison, regional variants and individual family touches
stand out.

Orlando