hisparentsscouringSydney’ssuburbsfora favourite
Chinese-Malaysianeateryordishonwhichtopin
theirmemoriesandidentities.“Forthosewhohave
hadtomovefora betterfuture,thesearchfor
authenticityis importantforculturalpreservation.”
If “itremindsmeofMykonos”is theimpostor’s
declarationofauthenticity,then“ittasteslike
home”is itshumblecounterpoint.
ForAyubiandherfamily,openingParwana
wasa wayof“capturing”Afghanfoodtraditions
inAdelaide.“Therewasnoquestionabout
authenticityortheneedtopresentthingsa certain
wayinordertobeauthentic,”saysAyubi.“There
wasjusta commitmenttoexpressingtheshared
truthswehadcollectedasa family,capturedin
recipesthatheldthememoryandhistoryofmy
ancestryandofa regionnowlong-disrupted.”
Ayubi’snewbook,Parwana:Recipes
andStoriesfromanAfghanKitchen, is a further
reclamationoftheAfghanidentity.It’smorethan
justa cookbook.It’sa tomeoffamilyandnational
memory.It’sa takebackofthenarrative.
“I wasreallymotivatedbytheideathatif people
wanttoengageinAfghancuisine,thenfirst,we
needtobroadenanddeepentheunderstanding
oftheregion,”shesays.“I wantedtobringtolife
thevoicesandeffortsofsomanyAfghanpeople
[who]havebeensilencedandwrittenoutoftheir
ownhistories.”
Allgoodthingscomeinthrees,andthe
evolutionandintersectionoffood,ethnicityand
authenticityis havingitsmoment.Theconversation
hasmovedfromthenotionofauthenticityasfixed,
toa secondstagethatconsidersit aspermeableand
complexasthepeopleit concerns,andfinallyto
a wordandconceptforpeopleofcolourinthe
foodworldtoreclaim.
Authenticity– charged,lockedandloadedas
it wasonce– is nolongertheweaponofchoicefor
importantconversationsaboutfoodandnarrative.
Thereis reasontohope,andthefuturelooksbright.
In fact, it has the potential to get five stars.●Theproblem isnotthatwhitechefs
haveearnedtheirreputationas experts
of a cuisine.It’sthatfoodmediaoften
uphold them as the only experts.Durkhanai AyubiDunlopforSichuancuisine,USA’sAndyRicker
andAustralia’sDavidThompsonreppingThai.
Andersonsaysthere’sroomforeverybody.Chefs
likeThompsonfullyimmersethemselvesinthefood
cultureanddedicateyearstoitscraft.“Youdon’t
havetobeofa certainorigintobea scholarinit.”
Sheconcedes,however,thatbeingThaiis an
advantage– onehasanintrinsic,livedknowledge
ofitscuisine.Butculturalheritagedoesnot
automaticallybestowculinaryauthority.Tobe
recognisedasa pundit,aspiringchefsmustdothe
work.ForLiong,theproblemis notthatwhitechefs
haveearnedtheirreputationasexpertsofa cuisine.
It’sthatfoodmediaoftenupholdthemastheonly
expertsinthatcuisine.“It’sunderstandablethat
MartinBoetzwouldprobablygivea betterinterview
thanAmy[Chanta], but that’s also part of the
issue,”hesays.AUTHENTICITYISRECLAMATION
Intherighthands,thehuntforauthenticitycan
bedonevirtuously.Fordiasporicandmigrant
communities,it’sa never-endingsearchfor
memoriesofa farawaylandina newhome,brought
tolifethroughthemostvisceralofsenses– the
smell,sightandtasteoffood.
“Forsome,searchingfortheperfectco ́m tâm
[Vietnamesegrilledporkandrice]ignitesnostalgia
and longing for home,” says Tran. Liong remembers
PHOTOGRAPHY JOHNNY MILLER.58 GOURMET TRAVELLER