Anthony Bourdain on Food, Authenticity and Being Wrong

Slate has a lengthy, compelling interview with the writer and No Reservations host, centered around the ideas of “right” and “wrong” in cooking. Here’s Bourdain on food, tradition and authenticity:

There’s enormous respect and a romanticized reverence for what’s considered the “right” way—meaning, the classic way—and I think most chefs feel powerfully that one should know that before moving on. Like, “I’ve researched this, this is the way they were making it in 1700, goddamn it, and that’s the way it should be made.” Or: “This is the way they make laksa in Kuching and Borneo; that stuff I just had on Ninth Avenue is definitely not the same; ergo it’s wrong.” But, you know, what does “real” or “authentic” mean? The history of food is the history of migrating ingredients and occupation and foreign influences and accommodation.

We spoke recently with Andrew Potter, the author of “The Authenticity Hoax,” about similar themes.

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