food
FRAUD Asian food is profitable for non-Asians
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Ken Peng created Ken Eats Gainesville, a food blog that comments on popular local restaurants in Gainesville. Peng grew up around Asian cuisine, and his father owns a Chinese grocery store and food distributions
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“Chinese restaurants will Americanize their cuisine to appease to white consumers and make money,” Peng said.
According to Joe Lin, the manager at Liquid Ginger in Gainesville, pad thai has become very Americanized. For example, the dish uses peanut butter now, which was not always traditional but allows them to sell more to Americans.
Peng said that gentrification may not be the right word to use to describe this popular occurrence. “This has become our own genre, and we can’t really complain about it,” Peng said. “Asian cuisine has moreso evolved due to all the different techniques applied and all the different versions it has. You can’t really chastise people and that they are still paying homage to their roots.” Immigration also plays a huge part in the representation of Asian cuisine. Peng said that immigrants will come to America and make money by selling Chinese takeout, but then go to a more authentic Chinese restaurant for dinner. Peng also said that places such as New York City have more authentic food because immigrants settled there first. The lack of authenticity in Asian cuisine may therefore be our own doing because many Americans are not even aware that there are
Carla Leon, manager of the Vietnamese restaurant Pho Hanoi, said the cuisine is all authentic Vietnamese food. However, the fried rice and pad thai have certain twists to them that the chefs developed themselves. Leon believes that a lot foods nowadays are being Americanized. However Pho Hanoi tries to stick to their roots as much as possible
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ASIAN CUISINE HAS EVOLVED DUE TO ALL THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES APPLIED AND ALL THE DIFFERENT VERSIONS IT HAS. YOU CAN’T REALLY CHASTISE PEOPLE IN THAT THEY ARE STILL PAYING HOMAGE TO THEIR ROOTS.” —KEN PENG
DESIGN/Kathy Xie
From Starbucks’ Chai to the New York Times’ coverage of boba tea, Asian inspired food is starting to become more mainstream. Often, what’s presented as new and different has already been a part of the Asian and Asian American culture for a long time.
two different sides to this story, Peng said.
PHOTOGRAPHY/Ashley Leong
Asian cuisine is very popular in America today. However, most people are not aware of where these popular items come from and the history behind them. Many people may not be aware of how the authenticity of Asian cuisine has changed since it’s arrival in America. How Asian cuisine is seen today may not always have been how it was originally meant to be, due to the Americanization and gentrification of the cuisine.
business. According to Peng, the lack of authenticity in Asian cuisine that we may see today is “our own doing.”
BY Christina Shoji
alk down the street of a college town or a big city, and one might find a pho chain, a sushi bar and a boba shop all within walking distance of each other.
because not many restaurants do anymore. Michael Pak, the store manager of Momoyaki, claims his work ethic comes from his Korean family, who also owns multiple businesses. Pak changed Momoyaki’s style from a cafe style to more of a dine-in style. He values the quality of his food the most. Pak states that he has made changes to the cuisine to cater to American consumers. The popular “pink sauce” is actually just shrimp sauce, and many sauces are catered to the taste buds of Americans since they mask the actual authentic tastes of the foods. Pak said the “jjampong” is one of the most authentic dishes on the menu. This spicy noodle soup dish was originally made by Chinese immigrants and based in Japan. Customers in China and Korea would say it tasted original and nothing like they have had before, because the recipe is not altered in any way, Pak said. Pak has visited Korea and China and has tasted jjampong there as well. He has tried his best to replicate this dish in the United States without taking away from its authenticity. Pak also said that they sell kimchi cheese fries,
a modern take on the Korean cuisine, which has become one of the most popular dishes there. “No style is really original, you take ideas and make it better,” Pak said. Rachel Galatowitsch is president of the Chinese American Student Association at the University of Florida. Galatowitsch, who is both Chinese and Cambodian, has experienced both cultures. She has grown up with traditional Chinese dishes such as celery soup, ginger chicken and scrambled eggs and tomatoes, which is her favorite. “Certain things are frustrating because it is not real Asian food,” Galatowitsch said. “Westernization takes away the Asian flavor, or moreso, it is just not the same.” Galatowitsch also said that her mom used to work at an Asian restaurant where they would cook specifically to cater to Americans. “They know it is Americanized, and they know that they are serving American people,” Galatowitsch said. Zachary Sandoval is a UF student whose family is from the Philippines. His favorite tradi-
tional Filipino dishes include traditional noodle dishes, egg rolls, pork and beef dishes, fried rice and roasted pig dishes. His mom would also make traditional chinese dumplings, rice buns and egg drop soups. Chinese takeout doesn’t taste like normal Chinese foods because it is more salty and oily, Sandoval said. Vanna Yang is another Asian American student at UF. Her parents are from Chengdu, China, specifically the Sichuan Province. She enjoys traditional Chinese dishes such as pork and chive dumplings and dan dan noodles. “Orange chicken is not something I’ve ever seen in China,” Yang said. “Kung Pow chicken and chow mein are also very different.” Yang said that authentic Chinese foods may not match the taste buds of Americans. She believes that the majority of typical Chinese cuisine requires more of an acquired taste, since Westernized foods lack complexity and foreign ingredients. Instead, they are more simple and sauce-based, Yang said. Asian cuisine is transforming, as well as how we see Asian culture in general. It is important to acknowledge these Asian roots and pay respect to where it all came from originally.
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