asian diaspora antics: the notion of authentic cuisine
Is there such a thing as authenticity when it comes to cuisines? Is it ever malleable?
Welcome to Flop Era, a digital platform where I muse on pop culture, cultural trends, and all things Gen Z. Today I am not writing a piece about my mom cutting fruit or packing me a “stinky” lunch box.
Read the first edition of Asian Diaspora Antics: Why are Vietnamese Americans stuck in a time warp?
Growing up in a Vietnamese household, thịt kho and canh chua were weekly courses at the dinner table. They are simple dishes many Việt kiều (Oversea Vietnamese) probably grew up eating. But occasionally my mom would whip up meals that necessarily wouldn’t be considered “traditional” Vietnamese dishes. One of my childhood favorites was macaroni and eggs, which I sometimes topped with chả lụa. Meals like that were ones I cherish because I quickly learned that none of my fellow Vietnamese friends’ parents made that. It was something my mom invented on a whim just for me and my siblings. While my Vietnamese friends welcomed it, I feel like other Viets might be puzzled and declare it as inauthentic.
VietTok occasionally makes its way to my For You page on TikTok. One realm of VietTok is tutorials on how to cook particular Vietnamese dishes, sometimes with a unique spin. These videos broaden my perspective on the various renditions of staples families had passed down as my mom’s was the only version I am familiar with. However, oftentimes there would be a small vocal minority under these videos’ comments decrying the dish as inauthentic.
But what exactly is an authentic dish? Is there even such a thing? (*There’s something to be said about people capitalizing and profiting on cuisine that is not theirs (like opening up restaurants), but that’s a different topic for another day).
To even break down what authentic even means, we have to distinguish the difference between authenticity and tradition. There definitely is a traditional version of a dish. A traditional dish has the basic structure and ingredients that makes the meal what it is. But the concept of “authenticity” is murky Epicurious’s Clarrisa Wei writes. “It implies that food needs to conform to a set of standard dishes,” Wei continues, “and flavors determined at an arbitrary time and place, even as new ingredients are introduced and as communities migrate.”
Let’s focus on a widely-recognized Viet dish: phở. Phố at its simplest is an aromatic soup served with rice noodles and topped with meat and garnishes. Replace the rice noodles with other noodles, like spaghetti, then it’s no longer phở. If one kept the essence and characteristics of what makes phở phở—and incorporates their own twist to it (perhaps for dietary reasons or a lack of access to specific ingredients), I don’t see why it still isn't phở.
Short history lesson on phở
Phở itself isn’t a dish bound to strict standards — the soup differs greatly within regions in Vietnam. The “authentic” phở that most people are used to in the United States is actually a Southern-style or Saigon-style phở. The main components of a Saigon phở are meats (typically beef), garnishes such as bean sprouts and basil, and Hoisin sauce. You can find this phở at pretty much every Vietnamese American restaurant. This is thanks to the influx of refugees and immigrants who came over to the States as they were mostly from Southern Vietnam. For someone who only nosh on Southern-style phở, the Northern-style phở might seem like a completely different dish—a clear broth typically topped with green onions, pickled garlic, and quẩy (breadstick) for dipping. Most noticeable is the absence of hoisin sauce.
Phở originated in Northern Vietnam and went through many iterations due to scarcity of ingredients and popularity before landing on its current versions known and loved throughout the world. Even then, while Vietnam has a deep, rich food history, its cuisine still may have been influenced by neighboring countries like China, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand as well as France.
Authenticity amidst change
As the Vietnamese diaspora broadened, so did our cuisine. Like many migrant communities, we had to adjust almost every aspect of our lives—even down to the ingredients used in food. Things that were once readily available may not be anymore. This phenomenon is not new. The emergence of Tex-Mex, American Chinese, and Louisiana Creole cuisines were the result of incorporating readily available ingredients into traditional dishes, thus inevitably creating unique cuisines that blend and fuse multiple cultures and flavors.
In Louisiana, there is a significant Vietnamese prescene. Like in any other regions of the U.S., when Vietnamese migrants migrated to Louisiana, they had to adapt to the new climate, including the daily task of cooking. Born was the Viet Cajun — a cuisine that blends Vietnamese and Louisiana tastebuds. As Southern Living puts it, “Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish doesn't have any actual roots in Vietnam; it's a Southern food through and through.” Yet, it has grown to define Vietnamese American culture. It’s a fare that documents the identity the Vietnamese diaspora has created for themselves. While American, it too is undoubtedly Vietnamese.
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Sometimes when cooking, my mom won’t have the exact ingredients it calls for. Growing up in D.C. during the early 2000s, there was a scarcity of grocery stores within walking distance that would carry specific spices. And if they were, she couldn’t justify paying the price for it. Sometimes it was easier to buy the “cheat item”—flavored stock soup bases and bullions or anything that is close enough in resemblance.
Food is always evolving. That can’t be prevented. It’s paramount to preserve tradition, to protect our culture, and to pass down recipes. That’s our right as for so long white society have tried to erase it. But that doesn’t mean tradition has to be rigid. If we keep the fundamental spirit of a dish, as well as the history, the quality, and the love that goes into it, isn’t that as authentic as it can get?
media of the month
Movies, shows, and books I’ve recently enjoyed and recommend:
📺 Gossip Girl (2021; season 2)
🎥 Glass Onion, Ingrid Goes West
📖 Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
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