Food makes you think
Food is one of those things we all know, we all consume, many of us love. More than just sustinance though food often becomes what defines a culture within its local community but also globally. Much of what the average person knows about different cultures immediatly speaks to a food memory, or desire. When someone says Thailand I immediately think of Pad see ew, spring rolls, something spicy sweet, sour and tangy finished off with a thai iced tea. Say Mexico, and I launch into a soliloquy of the best mexican food in southern california made from mexican hands who just do it better than anyone else. Then carry on to Mexico City being one of the great food cities of the world, and maybe the most special destination for both fine dining and cheap eats in the world.
Food has this unqiue ability to bring people together, to unify across cultures and belief systems. It’s the ice breaker in a tense room, it can be the common ground between vastly different economic backgrounds. With many of us its a love affair of the most delicious variety. If we cant agree on good food, what can we agree on??
While i love fine dining, and all things upscale, my soul is always most attached to the mom and pop, off the beaten path, humble food made with love and history on its side. There are many corners of this country and every country where generations old recipes have been passed down and link not only the young and old but those of all races and religions. When i sit and have a meal with someone there is an immediate intimacy you feel. I do not enjoy eating with people i dont feel some level of reverence or love for. Food is intimate, consuming is intimate, and to enjoy a dinner should feel like a warm hug to those youre with. Making meal time a special part of your day adds value to your relationships and friendships, a time away from technology and a time to appreciate good peope, good food, good conversation and a fully belly at the end of it all.
Now do you have to feel like food is transcendent on a Wednesday night at Chipotle with your roomate, brother or lover? I mean, no, it doesnt have to be that deep, but also it might just be. Sometimes even those small, seemingly meaningless meals end up living on forever. Nothing better than the mutual enjoyment of a perfect bite; your eyes meet, grinning with a mouth full of food and a heart full of happiness. Food has power, a power to make us feel so many things.
One of my favorite places to have people try for the first time in LA is Mariscos Jalisco taco truck. Theres a billion taco trucks in LA and everywhere else for that matter, so what makes thisnso different or special? Well, those first couple bites you take will answer that question, the light bulb turns on, it all becomes a bit clearer, this is magical. By taco number two, most are believers. This is humble food, only a handful of ingredients, everything fresh, locally sourced, made by men and women who care about the legacy and what this taco means and represents within this community. And as a gringo, i am blessed to be able to step into this bit of beautiful east LA culture and enjoy a small bite of what generations of mexicans have contributed to this city and this nation.
What is American culture anyways? Its a combination of all these other beautiful vibrant people and places, because if youre telling me american culture is baseball, hotdogs, and bud light, Ill pass, I dont want it. American culture is Black culture and Latino culture and maybe some European dabbled in as well. We owe most everything delicous and wonderful to those black and brown communities who have come here and brought their magic for us all to enjoy and share.
Its fascinating then to look at the state of the world and reconcile with the hypocrisy that exists in ever vein of society. Some of the most ignorant people I know or see online love to spew hate towards a certain group while simultaneously consuming their culture. Whether thats food, music, dance, clothing, vernacular; culture appropriation and theft is a very real thing. There are plenty of white ‘girls from kansas’ talking about the border while munching on some tacos and chips and salsa. This country has been built on the accumulation of other peoples best parts; THAT is why we are considered great. We are the ultimate melting pot, and we should be so eternally grateful that so many people from every corner of the world have brought and given us a piece of themselves.
Unfortunately though, many white people dont view it this way. Instead, as a country weve cherrypicked all the best parts, we'll take your good food, your entertainment, your sports, your design and architecture, we will take all the things that make you beautiful, and then deny you not only your peace but also your place in the creation of such things. We steal the ideas, we change them slightly and tell the world ‘look what i created’. We steal, and we take credit for others work. Food is no different. The monitization of other cultures is what white men have done best for decades. The capitalization of food is just one of the many ways wealthy white men used, abused and gained from those they deemed inferior in order to build wealth and status.
While this isnt changing over night, there is a shift, a desire to be ethical in a world where so many in power are not. Its important to recognize this and make simple choices that have real effects. Know where youre eating. Know whose pocket your money is going into. Know where the ingredients come from. Support small business, support immigrants, support hard work and eat damn good food.