andtryingtoexpandthescopeoftheperception
ofChinesefood.”
Anderson’schildhoodsnacksofleftoverlarb
stuffedbetweenslicesofsourdoughformedthe
genusforBoonCafé,a meetinggroundforThai-
Australianflavourmash-ups.“Myconsciousness
is deeplyrootedinmyupbringinghere,but[also]
amongsttheThaicommunity,”shesays.
TomSarafianis theheadchefat BarSaracen,
a restaurantthatdescribesitselfas“ofMiddle
Easternappearance”.HesayshisArmenianheritage
hasallowedhimtodelvedeeperintoothercuisines
oftheMiddleEasternregion– Egypt,Lebanon,
Iran,Turkey– buthe’scarefultoimmersehimself
inthetraditionsofa cuisinebeforehesetsabout
modernisingit.
“Somecustomerswilllookat themenuat
Saracenandsee‘fishfatteh’andsay:‘That’snot
howit’smeanttobe,youcan’tputfishwith
yoghurt’.Butoncethedinerseatthedish,they
understandit,there’sstillthatfamiliarityand
it stilltasteslikehome,becauseI’vemadesure
I trulyunderstandtheauthenticityofthedish
beforeI makemyadaptations,”saysSarafian.
Whichbringsustothebig,uh,whiteelephant
intheroom:CanCaucasianpeoplebeconsidered
authoritiesonauthenticethnicfood?There’sthe
UK’s Diana Kennedy for Mexican and Fuchsia➤Hersignaturetamales,bywayofexample,
containedtoomuchchicken.
“HowcanyousaytheAztecsweredoingthis
typeoftamale?I mean,theywereusinghuman
meat,”saysCienfuegos.
Herburritosarea sourceofcontention.
Chihuahuainnorth-westMexicois hometothe
burrito,wherewheat-tortillarollsarefilledwith
beans,cheeseandgrilledsteak.Theonesfoundin
Monterreymightcomewithavocado.Cienfuegos’
firstmemoryofa burritowasa snack-sizednumber
froma conveniencestoreintheMexicancapital.
Who’stosaywhichburritois therealdeal?
“YourburritofromMonterreyis authentic,but
thefirstburritointheworldwasfromChihuahua,
buttheonesI’vehadarethetinysnacksfrom
7-Eleven,andmyburritoshereareauthenticfrom
myrecipes,”shesays.Inthebeginning,customers
wouldaskif herburritoscamewithguacamole.
“Butnotnow.I havea firmcustomerbasewho
understandtheseareRosa’sburritos.”
Shewon’teventakethebaitwhenaskedabout
Tex-Mex,a cuisineevolvedfromtheTejanopeople
(TexansofSpanishorMexicanheritage)thathas
sincebeenshapedbytheadventofconvenience
foodandtheOldElPasobrand.“It’sauthentic
tothem,”sheshrugs.
DrKhoranacoinedtheterm“hipsterethnics”
todescribesecond-generationmigrantrestaurateurs.
Inpossessionoftheirtwo-prongedidentities– their
family’sculturalheritageandtheirownAustralian
upbringing– they’veforgeda newwaveoffood
businessesthatunite“multiplediscoursesof
‘authenticity’toproducea veryparticularaesthetic”.
ForLiong,thismanifestsinLeeHoFook’s
“new-styleChinese”inMelbourne’sCBD.
“Iwasn’tsettingouttocreatethemostauthentic
flavoursofChinabecauseI didn’tfeellikeI was
anexpertinChinesefood.”Hisparentsare
Malaysian-bornandofHakkaandCantonese
descent,butintherestaurant’searlyyearsthere
wasa strictno-dumplings,no-noodlesrule.
“Itwasmoreanexplorationofthecuisineand
a personal representation of the flavours I enjoyedRosa CienfuegosPalisa AndersonGOURMET TRAVELLER 57PHOTOGRAPHY KITTI GOULD (PALISA ANDERSON) & ALICIA TAYLOR (VICTOR LIONG, ROSA CIENFUEGOS).