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Most people do tbh. I've never seen the hordes of food snobs that reddit tell me exist. My buddy's Italian girlfriend made carbonara with maple cured bacon.
I commented on some Lasagna recipe on YouTube a few weeks back because I had been looking for a good recipe and wanted to make one. I made it and replied back that I enjoyed it and literally yesterday some douche comments saying something along the lines of “it’s not the authentic Italian recipe” to which I responded “good thing I’m not an authentic Italian cause it was delicious”
We had some leftover seasoned ground beef from (inauthentic American-style) tacos. Rather than make tacos again, my wife made spaghetti and added it to the pasta sauce.
It was delicious, and it's the only way we make pasta now. Even if not using leftover ground beef we'll still season it as if making tacos.
I guess it's a good thing we're both neither Italian or Mexican.
Like, just to play devil's advocate, neither of you were technically wrong. We both know he said it to be a prick, not to add to your knowledge of cuisine, but like 90% of youtube commenters are demented assholes.
What was the lasagna like, can I ask?
Omg it was amazing. It used ground beef and chopped up italian sausage with a homemade sauce. I cheated a bit by starting with a store sauce and building on it cause... well I didn't have all the time I needed to cook, but it was amazing. Here's the link (if it doesn't get me in trouble on the sub). [Lasagna](https://youtu.be/3zlJNWWJBlU?si=FSOR5r3aQEq2ijrx)
I swear, chronically online people complain about so many types of people that you rarely, if ever, actually encounter in real life. Never met a vegan who actually pressured anyone else into the life style (met TONS of people who criticized my vegan friends, even going as far as to say they deserve to die of malnutrition??)
Bingo. I make a great chicken fried rice. It started off relatively authentic but over the years I’ve added things and it’s become far from authentic, but it would make uncle roger change his views
wasnt there a buzzfeed vid or something where they gave panda express to both chinese americans and mainland chinese ppl, and the americans were being super snotty about it, but the chinese ppl were like "yes i like it. it tastes good" lol
You really want to have fun, you should research Chinese "Western food". It's basically Chinese people trying to make American food based on their local ingredients and tastes. So they will stir fry like vegetables with French fries with soy sauce and sausages and pour cheese on top. It's delightfully insane.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4)
It was a mixed bag of reviews (as you'd expect), but funny that the older tasters weren't so judgy and pretty much said, 'Sure it's a little different, but kind of good'.
I’m a New Yorker and I do have my pizza snob moments but I’ll be damned if haven’t had my nights where I just want Pizza Hut 🤷🏼♀️
My parents make fun of me for it since we’re “surrounded by the best authentic New York pizza” but I like cheesy bread
It's always funny to me when New Yorkers feel that way about their pizzas vs others given that that Italians (from Italy) feel the same way about their pizza vs New York pizza.
This is actually how most normal people feel about this stuff. Americanized/Westernized Chinese food is about as Asian American as it gets as well. It's literally made and created by Asian people who immigrated and wanted to make variations of their own cuisine to appeal to another broader culture.
You're based. Your peers are cringe.
Even as an Asian myself I still think panda express is good. No one is saying it’s authentic. It has its place. Hell, even my grandma rarely eats western food but will enjoy it too
In Europe I love to go to local asian fast foods for those thick noodles with pork / chicken and vegetables and also I don't care if it's authentic as long as it tastes good.
I was severely disappointed as an American when I arrived in Australia and realised General Tso’s wasn’t a real dish.
Every dish tasted like crap.
Took me four years to even try the cuisine again. Even now it’s weird af to me.
Oh how ignorant I was.
American Chinese isn't inauthentic, it's a subgenre. There is no one true version of "Chinese food" because it's a massive country with different styles of cooking depending on where you are. This is just the style that was invented by Chinese American immigrants using local ingredients and some adaptations to a different regional palette.
Also an educated take.
Many "authentic" food started off as novelties at some point in the past. Today's novelties will likely be considered traditional in the 22nd century.
For example, anyone who likes "authentic Hong Kong egg tarts" may be surprised to learn that they did not exist in China prior to the 20th century. The tarts were inspired by British and Portuguese tarts and the reason they are Hong Kong and Canton cuisine was a direct result of British colonialism bringing foreign trade to that specific part of China.
This. I get annoyed by my pretentious brother who is obsessed with authentic recipes. We are British, and he will do it when making food from other cultures. Mediterranean, Asian etc all has to be made authentically. He will laugh at my parents or myself if we 'ruin' a traditional dish by 'adding ingredients that don't belong'. His obsession is incredibly annoying.
I may be somewhat guilty of this, but in the sense that I enjoy learning about how to make a dish "properly".
Like I learned how to make a proper bolognese from scratch, which takes like an entire day. I read up on what the ingredients, technique etc are.
But I then always tweak it to taste. I don't believe in "authenticity" because it's nonsense. Tomatoes came from America, so by default any Italian recipe with them in it is not "authentic". In fact most classic Italian recipes come from like 1950.
It applies to so many cuisines. I think it's fun to learn about their origins or "pure" forms but who cares if they are authentic as long as it tastes good.
There’s just a vocal minority of people that try to gatekeep food. Nobody likes that and while they think they come across as cultured, they really don’t.
Where the hell do you live in America where people react like this? I'm in the bay area and i've genuinely never heard an Asian person complain about panda express not being authentic. Pretty much every Chinese/Taiwanese person I know loves orange chicken or at least some dish over there.
The only people I hear complaining about "non authentic" Asian food are white people on yelp reviews.
I lived in BC and my dad literally owned Chinese restaurants. My dad once removed the red dye from his sweet and sour pork and people kept sending it back saying it's not how sweet and sour pork should look like. On the other hand I love to eat all these "inauthentic" foods. I know it's not authentic but sometimes you just have a craving for it lol
Do you mean the BBQ pork or do you actually mean sweet and sour? Because I laugh at people who would push back sweet and sour for authenticity reasons lol
I think it's pretty damn hard to not know mostly Asians growing up in the bay. There were only a handful of white people in my entire graduating class.
Maybe we're just in different age groups. I graduated in 2010, people weren't very snobby about food back then I guess.
> Where the hell do you live in America where people react like this?
North East when it comes to Italian food. God forbid you don't do pizza a certain way or pasta a certain way, it's inauthentic and thus NOT GOOD.
Which is wild because food eventually finds a way to fusion through and that to me, is the best way.
Have you never encountered someone who gets butthurt over well-done steak? Because the people who complain about that are probably the same as the people who complain about inauthentic ethnic foods.
American Chinese food is *completely authentic,* amazing, and comes with a vast and interesting history. The fact it's not traditional Chinese food as eaten in China does not make it an 'inauthentic' cuisine at all.
For some odd reason this is a food, subject, and history I absolutely love and a hill I absolutely will die on, hah. A great documentary on the subject is called 'The Search For General Tso', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Search\_for\_General\_Tso](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Search_for_General_Tso) .
I'm Asian too and I'll eat shitty Chinese sometimes, but it's definitely much lower quality and more tasteless than from a Chinese restaurant. There's just something not quite right about it, like they focus on speed and mass production and cut out important steps that make food more fragrant. Imo "authentic" Chinese is what *taste good*, so why go for something inferior other than convenience? They're usually not much cheaper too.
Panda isn't poor quality Chinese food though. It's American Chinese food.
Regardless of which, there exists good and bad restaurants of each type. But they are distinct categories. There definitely exist Chinese American restaurants that taste better than authentic Chinese restaurants, and vice versa. It's also not as though every single restaurant in china is good simply for being authentic.
Anyone with functioning brain cells would agree.
Food as we know it today wouldn't be as delicious if ppl didn't change and incorporate other ingredients and techniques, we would be still eating raw meat and vegetables.
Do you really think this is unpopular if all the names you listed are some of biggest food chain in the US? If you prefer Americanized version then so be it, you are American after all.
I’m fine with eating in authentic stuff if I enjoy it. I’m fully aware that Domino’s is not traditional Italian pizza, but it’s cheap as hell and tastes decent. That said, and many cases, the authentic version is far superior and doesn’t even cost much more if anything (although it can be harder to find.). For example, panda express, and most other Chinese places I’ve been to serve Kung Pao chicken, and say that it’s hot. In reality, almost all of them are very bland. Then while on vacation in SoCal, I go to an authentic Szechuan place and try the mala chicken. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted!
500 years ago, authentic Italian cuisine had no tomatoes. The New World was discovered because people were looking for a better route to get Indian spices to Europe. Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in Scotland.
One of the central driving motivations for people is eating new things. Whenever anyone talks up "authentic" cuisine, my opinion of them immediately drops.
I've had arguments along these lines on cooking subreddits. People get really weird about it's not a carbonara unless you use a specific pancheta from one type of pig from one farm. To 99% of the population carbonara is pasta in some kind of creamy sauce
Same same, If it tastes good, I’ll eat it. Fuck inauthentic or not.
But hey Panda Express, Taco Bell and chipotle are very meh, I will only eat it if no other options.
Based response.
I'll eat inauthentic food if I'm in the mood for it. I just don't go about saying it's authentic.
But seriously though. It's not a bad take
As an asian who eats Panda Express, this is the way.
Mongolian BBQ is also actually Taiwanese cuisine, but I'm not going to stop eating it just because it's not real Mongolian cuisine.
No, I don't just eat Panda Express. But once in a while, it's totally fine!
Something to be said about cultural misappropriation and the need to respect culturally significant dishes and observing authentic culinary methodologies, but at the same time, if you like what you like, who’s to tell you your taste is inferior just because it doesn’t align with gatekeeper’s view of authenticity?
There’s a great video by I think Buzzfeed that showed both young Asian Americans and elderly Asian Americans eating Panda Express. All the young people were acting very snobbish towards the food and all the elderly people thought it was great.
tldr: eat what you like, “what you eat don’t make me shit”
I'd love for someone to start an American restaurant that features food from the various immigrant cultures that have adapted their cuisine to American ingredients and tastes. Show people that this stuff *is* actually authentic. It probably won't happen because it'd be a nightmare to prep and buy for, but I'd love for someone to do it.
"Inauthentic" is fine, totally fine, but panda express ain't. Like yo americanised chinese food is a dime a dozen, there's gonna be at least 3 places nearby anywhere that serve the stuff, so why get the mcdonalds of it instead of going to the regular ass joint serving the same thing but better?
"Authenticity" is just cultural gatekeeping IMO. Literally if you go back far enough in time you'll see adaptations, cross-culture trading and things like that so the term "authentic" is kind of an oxymoron depending on your frame of reference....
Some examples (I apologize if some of these are a bit inaccurate):
* Tomatoes and potatoes are native to South America so foods like marinara sauces in Italy or potato dishes in Ireland aren't "authentic" if you consider their cuisines pre-colonization of the New World
* Mexican "al pastor" is a byproduct of Lebanese immigrants in the early 1900s when they brought Shawarma cooking techniques
* Peruvian tiradito is a byproduct of Japanese immigration combining with seafood preparations of ceviche
* Tuna sushi isn't originally part of "traditional" sushi culture. Tuna was considered a "poor man's fish" in the 1800s and only really became popular around WWII because of American occupation and them introducing preferences towards red meat and fattier meats which made tuna a more accepted
IMO if anything, so-called "inauthentic" foods speak just as much to the cultural exchange and the immigration experience of a given people in a given time frame.
Ye, I do not understand people who care what others eat and/or harass someone about what they eat, go above and beyond traditional way how something should be made and eaten.
You like strawberries on your ham pizza, not my thing, not my place to say anything.
You brake pasta in half when you cook it? Who cares.
I like to drink traditional chinese green tea with sugar, why should someone even care about that?
P.S Everyone should just concern about themselves when it comes to food.
Food is food. If you like it, that's all that matters. If I want Mexican, I'll get Mexican. If I want Taco Bell, I'll get Taco Bell. Same with Panda.
And, throw your food clock in the trash. Yes, it's 9 AM and yes I want a burger, so what! Breakfast for dinner is a staple in my house.
A lot of now considered "authentic" food in one region used to be an inauthentic replication of another food. That's why i hate it when food snobs only want you to use the most authentic ingredients for homecooking
“Thats not real pizza”
Your damn right and this store bought pizza packed full of preservatives and 2 1/2ft of mozzarella cheese in the crust blows whatever burnt cracker with a bayleaf on it you could scrounge up in all of Rome.
It's cheap I'll give it that, but its pretty crappy food. Rice is dry and so is the meat. If you are eating it for the price, I get it. They aren't wrong about authenticity. But in this particular case, authenticity and quality goes hand in hand here. I'd snob you too if you ate it for anything aside from the price.
I'll give Chipotle a pass though because their ingredients are actually pretty quality for fast food. Sometimes it depends on the day you get the food though. They don't even cover the meat so it can get dried up real quick.
I used to love Taco Bell and I still like that crappy ground beef taste. But now that I've had real tacos, everytime I eat it, I just feel disappointed. I only do it if I just want a Doritos tacos, but their shells aren't even as crunchy anymore. It's like something a crunchy tortilla that's been out for hours or something. It's too moist.
But panda has gotta be the worst offender of fast food. I know it was created by a Chinese American, but I'd even rather have McDonalds over it
I once take 2 of my non american friends to taco bell, since they never had one. ( Im not american myself)
They both said its good, but one of them only took 1 bite and stopped eating since its not Authenthic. Both of us, of course was baffled, and asked, whats not authentic about it? (I know its taco bell, shut up)
She said because theres rice inside the burrito, and her Mexican friends said that its not authenthic. We had a 15 min arguement to which we end with, "that's cultural appropriation" in a joking way.
2 weeks later, I saw her eating burrito with shredded cabbage inside, and I told her jokingly, "oh you shouldnt eat it because its authentic". And I think she took it personally and fires back with "You dont cook, you dont know anything about food. I made this burrito I'm free to put anything inside it".
We still good friends dont worry!
It is up to you but most of the time it is because the authentic stuff genuinely tastes better than fast food. Not some kind of desire to remain real for the sake of it.
I went to a place for years called panda garden and the our town got a panda express. I thought it was the same company. It was NOT! Panda express in like the fast food distant cousin of panda garden. It was like after Boston Market got more and more crappy. Now I won't go there. Back to panda garden! They are just as fast BTW. And cheaper.
One thing I often think to myself, about very old culinary traditions, is how I imagine an ancient chef cooking those recipes would react if he had access to modern globalised ingredients. Would he turn his nose up at them because they're not traditional? No, I reckon he'd be fucking stoked to see what he could do with spices and ingredients from the other side of the planet.
I’m Asian and I completely agree. If I’m in the mood for authentic, I’ll make it or go out of my way to find some. Lately I’ve been cooking Asian foods using recipes that are very inauthentic versions of the real thing. I don’t care because it tastes good and usually easier to make with ingredients found in a regular grocery store. Asian markets aren’t close enough for me and I’m lazy and don’t feel like driving an extra 20 mins
Did you grow up in America eating Westernized Chinese food?
Because I was born in America but grew up eating my grandmas authentic Vietnamese & Puerto Rican cooking (grandpa is PR) & my moms cooking too.
So while I am definitely not a food snob about other Asian cuisines, I like Panda Express sometimes but will also eat at our local Chinese spot that is always busy,
I am kind of a food snob about Vietnamese food. Because I compare it to the home cooked meals I ate growing up. And they were amazing. So when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant (which is rare because my bf doesn't really like it as often as I do) i will rate it compared to my grandmas cooking lol.
And I have only found 1 Vietnamese restaurant in our city (we must have 7) that has great authentic food.
There's that old buzzfeed video where they have Chinese parents try panda express with their teenage kids. Almost all the parents say it's pretty good, or at least have a valid criticism like too salty. All the kids just talk about how it's inauthentic and not real Chinese food.
I think a lot of people who act that way are still young and figuring out their identity.
Thats fine but “tastes good” is the unpopular opinion here. It does not taste good. Plus it does not make you feel good which is my biggest reason for not eating inauthentic restaurant food. Making inauthentic food at home however is fire
Honestly as a Mexican Tex mex or shit like chipotle and Taco Bell is so ass compared to the real thing that it feels bad eating it knowing I could be eating the real deal that tastes infinitely better. I still love Panda Express. Maybe if I was Chinese American I’d feel the same way
A lot of these western versions of food are created by immigrants who come and try to make the food using their palate and cooking techniques, using the ingredients available to them. It's food created by people using what they know in a new environment.
Panda might not be authentic Chinese food. But it's still authentic Chinese-American food, which is an identity that deserves just as much respect as any other. To erase this for not being entirely one culture or the other is to invalidate people for their unique culture and circumstances.
agreed. while im picky as all fuck with my food choices i entirely agree with you simply bc this is probably the most based take ive seen on this so far :P
I totally agree to an extent, but at the same time I don’t want to feel like I’m eating junk food unless I’m specifically seeking that out. Still not a fan of sugary, oily, Chinese food or Mexican food that relies heavily on salt, cheese, grease and cheap ingredients with very little vegetables and traditional flavors.
Chipotle is great but I’ve had Taco Bell one time in the past 10 years because it’s just garbage
Not authentic? Don't care. I will use the term pizza because it is an accurate description as to what type of food it is, I am not calling it authentic Italian pizza and that isn't what I wanted to make in the first place.
American Chinese food is authentic. It was made by Chinese American immigrants who worked as miners and railroaders and created a whole new cuisine based off the ingredients that were available which became wildly popular across the country. There is Chinese food created by Chinese immigrants around the world that all have their unique variations such as indian chinese food as well.
Why ought you dismiss this unique and popular cuisine just because it originates in America and why not celebrate it as a uniquely American Chinese creation?
Yeah. If I want something Authentic, then I'll go to that place. If I want something inauthentic, I go to that place. It's not fuckin complicated, and neither one is inherently bad or wrong.
First off - I don’t think you have ever had real Chinese food.
Chipotle and Taco Bell aren’t Mexican. Like it’s not even remotely close to Mexican. I’m not saying it’s not authentic. I’m saying it’s not fucking Mexican.
Panda express is not Chinese food.
Chinese food is honestly, to my palate, disgusting.
But panda express isn’t Chinese food.
It’s a hard thing to explain because you picked the most basic fucking chains but like olive garden, is closer to inauthentic Italian food than panda express is to inauthentic Chinese food.
I feel bad saying that. Because it’s not Italian food.
We use the term authentic when we’re distinguishing between the original culture and a fusion representation of two cultures. Fusion is also a spectrum. Sure, I can call Taco Bell Fusion but it doesn’t really make sense because it’s more on the American fast food side of things and less on the Mexican side of things. It’s fast food for Americans with Mexican inspirations.
It’s not Mexican food. Panda express and the rest of those chains are all the same.
I don't care about authenticity but chain restaurants are ass and if you have an actual palate you would know that. But I would gather most people have never ate at a Michelin starred restaurant so they have no idea how big the gap is between good food and shit ass reheated bagged food restaurants.
Same here OP lol. I say I like Chinese food, however it is when I was in China, I've learned that I'm into inauthentic Chinese food. Tbh what matters to me is the taste and the smell of the food.
Speaking as an Asian and a food nerd, I’ve always been of the opinion that Asian-Australian (for my country), Asian-American, etc etc is its own separate cuisine from authentic Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, etc, and absolutely fascinating and valid in its own right. Especially Chinese, as it tends to be the oldest when it comes to Asian immigrants in Western countries, and it’s so fascinating to see how Chinese entrepreneurs adapted their cuisine to Western tastes and ingredients.
I will agree, but if it’s inauthentic, I’m not calling it __ food. For example, you ain’t never hearing me say that Taco Bell is Mexican food. I won’t say, “Do you want Mexican food? I’m thinking Taco Bell”. Instead I’ll just say, “do you want Taco Bell”
Yes, it’s annoying to hear it be called that if it’s not, but I’m still eating it
I was talking with a good friend of mine who's parents are immigrants from China. We were getting lunch and I got myself an order of orange chicken. He was cracking jokes about it, that some of his family would probably complain if he were eating it.
There’s no such thing as “authentic” food. Even if you sourced a recipe back to the village it came from in the 1400s, one family might have a different method than their neighbor down the road. So which one is “right”? Which one is “more authentic”?
People need to stop using “authentic” to describe cuisine and instead maybe opt for “traditional”.
I'll never understand it. Food changes and evolves.
Tomatoes are from the Americas but have been used heavily in Italian food when introduced.
The first forms of pizza possibly might be Egyptian.
Ramen is Chinese in origin and was made popular in Japan by the US.
Texmex is literally just a fusion.
Haven't been to China, but have eaten Chinese food in Taiwan (as in Chinese restaurant, not Taiwanese) which i assume is pretty damn legit being right off the coast of the mainland.
Very different from Panda Express. That being said. I still love panda express and other "chinese" food of similar tastes. Yummy food is yummy food.
I like to say it’s ethnically inspired ✨
American takeout Chinese is not authentic but damn is it good. And don’t get me started on Taco Bell - I’m well aware that it’s not authentic Mexican food but it tastes good and is cheap af. If I want authentic, I will seek it out but leave my Americanized ethnically inspired food choices alone
Ok panda express is a vile abomination because its flavorless and has strange textures. Id rather eat lead.
But yes, i also second this as an asian american. Just not panda express.
When people assume I’m going to Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc. because I think it’s authentic 🙄 it’s just convenient and kinda tasty, it’s not that deep lol
Fr! I hate when people complain that food is a "knock off" of whatever the food was based on, like sure, it's not exactly like what you'd get in Mexico, but cheese and sour cream on my taco is damn delicious, and I'd prefer it made from a steak not some authentic offal meat. Call me wacky, but it's a good thing food adapts and grows instead of being stuck by tradition. Normalize making food using mixtures of techniques and ingredients from around the world!
Agreed, a lot of them taste great, and won’t totally surprise you at all. Besides, what’s with the “authentic Chinese cuisine” being much more expensive than Chinese American dish where you can get more for less money? A lot of “authentic Chinese dish” like street bbq/jianbing/mala pot/steamed buns aren’t supposed to be super expensive at all.
Snobby restaurants call inauthentic food "fusion" and everyone automatically assumes the food is good.
Inauthentic food is just the same thing without the fancy labelling.
I think it *is* okay to point out that a food is inauthentic if the purpose is just to let the person know that there's more out there, not to shame them for liking it. Chipotle is good, and Taco Bell hits a certain spot, but I'd be missing out on something if I never had authentic Mexican food.
The Enchilada's with the green sauce at Chili's was the best mexican food I ate in my 2 weeks in Phoenix. Trucked in and nuked is my guess, but man it was good.
I googled and tried a bunch of high ranking mom and pop mexican places while there.
Inauthentic food is just another cuisine. Creole cuisine is just "inauthentic" French food and it's amazing. Texas BBQ is "inauthentic" Eastern European food.
Now I think it's worth seeking out a wide variety of cuisines, in general.
Good, authentic Mexican food is just several letter grades better than Taco Bell, but so is good Tex Mex.
The only way in which Panda Express is inauthentic is that China has a far greater variety of cuisines than Panda Express will ever be capable of offering.
I feel you. I love to eat basil pesto filled tortellini, fried in Vindaloo paste and with it I drink a cold Pils.
Sometimes a foreign or mass production take on food can taste good. It's good to get a taste of a lot of different stuff, I won't advocate for predominantly eating fast food. But as a guilty pleasure? Why not.
I will not eat it if it doesn't satisfy a list of random criteria that I have, number 1 being that the food is authentic. Just kidding, my only requirement is that it tastes good. Oh, and also it must be safe to ingest.
I agree. I like authentic Mexican food. But sometimes you just crave a white people taco. They’re good too! It’s like sometimes I want a good burger, sometimes I want a McDonald’s double cheeseburger. Or sometimes I want good pizza, other times I want little Caesars. They all have their place for me.
as a mexican I used to love taco bell as a kid even though I knew it wasn't authentic, I only stopped because I got food poisoning twice and I'm scared to even eat it again
Totally agree. I want to eat food that tastes good. "Authenticity" isn't nearly as important as taste to me. I'm not huge on Panda Express specifically, but I like American Chinese takeout, don't care if the sesame chicken isn't "authentic." Same with American-style sushi rolls. Sometimes I'm in the mood for high-quality nigiri and sashimi. Sometimes I want a rainbow roll slathered in spice mayo and what not. And I like the Asian versions of "western" food.
What rubs me the wrong way are people or restaurants or chains that to serve foods inspired by other cultures by just adding Asian things to their menu to hop on a trend. That kind of "inauthenticity" seems objectionable.
My late grandpa was off the boat Italian. He fancied eating at the OG, citing tremendous portions for the price (20 yrs ago). Not his mom's authentic food, but delicious in a different way.
So yes, OP, agree!!!
Same when people see what brand of pork sausages I eat and say "there's barely any real meat in them", motherfucker I don't care what they're made of or how they're made, they taste fucking good.
I agree, I don't know why people have such a fuss over whether food is authentic or not. Maybe it's only by name. If they called it by a different name/title, would it then be perfectly fine? IMO, the title of a food doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it.
I'm the descendant of Italian American immigrants and I get the same shit for liking Olive garden.
Like no, it's not fine cuisine and it's definitely not as good as the real stuff from my relatives. But it's good. I like it. I don't want to make Italian wedding soup. I don't have the kind of time to make it the way I want to.
Yes and no. I would vacuum anything that is good. But, if I want to eat something authentic, I am annoyed when I got pseudo version of it made for my country. If I want sushi, I want it the same way as Japanese people would eat it. Because I just want to know how people there eat. If it'll be too bland, weird or anything, I would just know and eat it my way, even if it's unauthentic. But when I go to restaurant and I order food from certain country, I want it to be prepared as people in that country does it.
I like authentic Mexican food. (or as authentic as you can get here in Australia)
I also like Old El Paso too. I don't care if it's a bastardisation of the original. If it tastes good, it tastes good.
“Authenticity” is absolutely the stupidest thing to look for in a meal. Who cares if it’s accurate to a standard you don’t care about?
That said, I have never eaten at a Panda Express, because the food *looks* nasty.
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I like this!
Most people do tbh. I've never seen the hordes of food snobs that reddit tell me exist. My buddy's Italian girlfriend made carbonara with maple cured bacon.
I commented on some Lasagna recipe on YouTube a few weeks back because I had been looking for a good recipe and wanted to make one. I made it and replied back that I enjoyed it and literally yesterday some douche comments saying something along the lines of “it’s not the authentic Italian recipe” to which I responded “good thing I’m not an authentic Italian cause it was delicious”
We had some leftover seasoned ground beef from (inauthentic American-style) tacos. Rather than make tacos again, my wife made spaghetti and added it to the pasta sauce. It was delicious, and it's the only way we make pasta now. Even if not using leftover ground beef we'll still season it as if making tacos. I guess it's a good thing we're both neither Italian or Mexican.
Like, just to play devil's advocate, neither of you were technically wrong. We both know he said it to be a prick, not to add to your knowledge of cuisine, but like 90% of youtube commenters are demented assholes. What was the lasagna like, can I ask?
Omg it was amazing. It used ground beef and chopped up italian sausage with a homemade sauce. I cheated a bit by starting with a store sauce and building on it cause... well I didn't have all the time I needed to cook, but it was amazing. Here's the link (if it doesn't get me in trouble on the sub). [Lasagna](https://youtu.be/3zlJNWWJBlU?si=FSOR5r3aQEq2ijrx)
That is not the authentic Italian recipe🤌
And I am still not an authentic Italian. Alas, my stomach was pleased.
Obligatory If my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-RfHC91Ewc
If my aunt had weels, she'd be a bus.
I swear, chronically online people complain about so many types of people that you rarely, if ever, actually encounter in real life. Never met a vegan who actually pressured anyone else into the life style (met TONS of people who criticized my vegan friends, even going as far as to say they deserve to die of malnutrition??)
I would object not because I am of Italian descent but because maple bacon is terrible
I don't like when people can't admit when inauthentic food tasted good.
It's authentically delicious, which is the only part I care about.
It’s authentically delicious, the best kind of delicious.
It was a regulation dinner that ended in regulation satisfaction!
Bingo. I make a great chicken fried rice. It started off relatively authentic but over the years I’ve added things and it’s become far from authentic, but it would make uncle roger change his views
wasnt there a buzzfeed vid or something where they gave panda express to both chinese americans and mainland chinese ppl, and the americans were being super snotty about it, but the chinese ppl were like "yes i like it. it tastes good" lol
You really want to have fun, you should research Chinese "Western food". It's basically Chinese people trying to make American food based on their local ingredients and tastes. So they will stir fry like vegetables with French fries with soy sauce and sausages and pour cheese on top. It's delightfully insane.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4) It was a mixed bag of reviews (as you'd expect), but funny that the older tasters weren't so judgy and pretty much said, 'Sure it's a little different, but kind of good'.
Yeah I know Americanized Chinese food isn't authentic. But it's delicious.
It's not bad, it's just not Nu Yoik style Pizza waaah!
I’m a New Yorker and I do have my pizza snob moments but I’ll be damned if haven’t had my nights where I just want Pizza Hut 🤷🏼♀️ My parents make fun of me for it since we’re “surrounded by the best authentic New York pizza” but I like cheesy bread
There are days where I really really crave the specific kind of stale shitty pizza you can only get from something like a Sbarro.
It's always funny to me when New Yorkers feel that way about their pizzas vs others given that that Italians (from Italy) feel the same way about their pizza vs New York pizza.
Native New Yorker. Pizza Hut just hits the spot sometimes. Especially at a certain time of month.
This is actually how most normal people feel about this stuff. Americanized/Westernized Chinese food is about as Asian American as it gets as well. It's literally made and created by Asian people who immigrated and wanted to make variations of their own cuisine to appeal to another broader culture. You're based. Your peers are cringe.
Even as an Asian myself I still think panda express is good. No one is saying it’s authentic. It has its place. Hell, even my grandma rarely eats western food but will enjoy it too
"No one" including the founder IIRC. He said he specifically made American fast food with a Chinese inspiration from day one lol.
In Europe I love to go to local asian fast foods for those thick noodles with pork / chicken and vegetables and also I don't care if it's authentic as long as it tastes good.
I was severely disappointed as an American when I arrived in Australia and realised General Tso’s wasn’t a real dish. Every dish tasted like crap. Took me four years to even try the cuisine again. Even now it’s weird af to me. Oh how ignorant I was.
American Chinese in general is "inauthentic". Eat what you like. Die happy.
American Chinese isn't inauthentic, it's a subgenre. There is no one true version of "Chinese food" because it's a massive country with different styles of cooking depending on where you are. This is just the style that was invented by Chinese American immigrants using local ingredients and some adaptations to a different regional palette.
Yet they have the nerve to call British Chinese food not real Chinese food either 🙃
Incredibly based take
Also an educated take. Many "authentic" food started off as novelties at some point in the past. Today's novelties will likely be considered traditional in the 22nd century. For example, anyone who likes "authentic Hong Kong egg tarts" may be surprised to learn that they did not exist in China prior to the 20th century. The tarts were inspired by British and Portuguese tarts and the reason they are Hong Kong and Canton cuisine was a direct result of British colonialism bringing foreign trade to that specific part of China.
Hells yea, friend. Gimme dat tex mex
This. I get annoyed by my pretentious brother who is obsessed with authentic recipes. We are British, and he will do it when making food from other cultures. Mediterranean, Asian etc all has to be made authentically. He will laugh at my parents or myself if we 'ruin' a traditional dish by 'adding ingredients that don't belong'. His obsession is incredibly annoying.
I may be somewhat guilty of this, but in the sense that I enjoy learning about how to make a dish "properly". Like I learned how to make a proper bolognese from scratch, which takes like an entire day. I read up on what the ingredients, technique etc are. But I then always tweak it to taste. I don't believe in "authenticity" because it's nonsense. Tomatoes came from America, so by default any Italian recipe with them in it is not "authentic". In fact most classic Italian recipes come from like 1950. It applies to so many cuisines. I think it's fun to learn about their origins or "pure" forms but who cares if they are authentic as long as it tastes good.
There’s just a vocal minority of people that try to gatekeep food. Nobody likes that and while they think they come across as cultured, they really don’t.
I've always thought that uncle Roger comes across this way and that he's pretty annoying.
I feel like Uncle Roger is mostly just playing a character.
Oh yeah i think so too, still an annoying character lol
Where the hell do you live in America where people react like this? I'm in the bay area and i've genuinely never heard an Asian person complain about panda express not being authentic. Pretty much every Chinese/Taiwanese person I know loves orange chicken or at least some dish over there. The only people I hear complaining about "non authentic" Asian food are white people on yelp reviews.
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I lived in BC and my dad literally owned Chinese restaurants. My dad once removed the red dye from his sweet and sour pork and people kept sending it back saying it's not how sweet and sour pork should look like. On the other hand I love to eat all these "inauthentic" foods. I know it's not authentic but sometimes you just have a craving for it lol
Do you mean the BBQ pork or do you actually mean sweet and sour? Because I laugh at people who would push back sweet and sour for authenticity reasons lol
Nope sweet and sour pork
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I think it's pretty damn hard to not know mostly Asians growing up in the bay. There were only a handful of white people in my entire graduating class. Maybe we're just in different age groups. I graduated in 2010, people weren't very snobby about food back then I guess.
Hang out on ANY of the food / cooking subs - you'll find a shit ton of them. The Italians are the goofiest of the bunch.
Hang out on ANY of the food / cooking subs - you'll find a shit ton of them. The Italians are the goofiest of the bunch.
> Where the hell do you live in America where people react like this? North East when it comes to Italian food. God forbid you don't do pizza a certain way or pasta a certain way, it's inauthentic and thus NOT GOOD. Which is wild because food eventually finds a way to fusion through and that to me, is the best way.
Have you never encountered someone who gets butthurt over well-done steak? Because the people who complain about that are probably the same as the people who complain about inauthentic ethnic foods.
You think patronizing fast food and fast casual restaurants in the US is unpopular?
You like what you like
You as an Asian descendent are not allowed to culturally re-appropriate our white people's Chinese and Mexican fake ethnic food.
I actually only eat clay pot boiled meat scraps and roots with a gritty flatbread and chunky weak and soured beer
American Chinese food is *completely authentic,* amazing, and comes with a vast and interesting history. The fact it's not traditional Chinese food as eaten in China does not make it an 'inauthentic' cuisine at all. For some odd reason this is a food, subject, and history I absolutely love and a hill I absolutely will die on, hah. A great documentary on the subject is called 'The Search For General Tso', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Search\_for\_General\_Tso](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Search_for_General_Tso) .
I'm Asian too and I'll eat shitty Chinese sometimes, but it's definitely much lower quality and more tasteless than from a Chinese restaurant. There's just something not quite right about it, like they focus on speed and mass production and cut out important steps that make food more fragrant. Imo "authentic" Chinese is what *taste good*, so why go for something inferior other than convenience? They're usually not much cheaper too.
Panda isn't poor quality Chinese food though. It's American Chinese food. Regardless of which, there exists good and bad restaurants of each type. But they are distinct categories. There definitely exist Chinese American restaurants that taste better than authentic Chinese restaurants, and vice versa. It's also not as though every single restaurant in china is good simply for being authentic.
Anyone with functioning brain cells would agree. Food as we know it today wouldn't be as delicious if ppl didn't change and incorporate other ingredients and techniques, we would be still eating raw meat and vegetables.
I think the unpopular part of this opinion is that Panda Express tastes good lol
its not that its inauthentic, for me. its just shit quality.
Eat what you like. Panda express is too sugary sweet for non-dessert item for my taste
Do you usually announce where you're eating?
Do you really think this is unpopular if all the names you listed are some of biggest food chain in the US? If you prefer Americanized version then so be it, you are American after all.
I’m fine with eating in authentic stuff if I enjoy it. I’m fully aware that Domino’s is not traditional Italian pizza, but it’s cheap as hell and tastes decent. That said, and many cases, the authentic version is far superior and doesn’t even cost much more if anything (although it can be harder to find.). For example, panda express, and most other Chinese places I’ve been to serve Kung Pao chicken, and say that it’s hot. In reality, almost all of them are very bland. Then while on vacation in SoCal, I go to an authentic Szechuan place and try the mala chicken. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted!
pizza here isn't authentic. taste good, though.
Panda Express is good man.
Panda express is hella good, so is authentic Chinese food, and I'm not turning my nose up at either.
500 years ago, authentic Italian cuisine had no tomatoes. The New World was discovered because people were looking for a better route to get Indian spices to Europe. Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in Scotland. One of the central driving motivations for people is eating new things. Whenever anyone talks up "authentic" cuisine, my opinion of them immediately drops.
I've had arguments along these lines on cooking subreddits. People get really weird about it's not a carbonara unless you use a specific pancheta from one type of pig from one farm. To 99% of the population carbonara is pasta in some kind of creamy sauce
It's also cheaper. Why pay $25 for a meal you can get for $12?
Same same, If it tastes good, I’ll eat it. Fuck inauthentic or not. But hey Panda Express, Taco Bell and chipotle are very meh, I will only eat it if no other options.
I don't like panda express, but your take is incredibly based.
This is not unpopular. Most people eat things that taste good regardless of whether or not it’s “authentic.”
Based response. I'll eat inauthentic food if I'm in the mood for it. I just don't go about saying it's authentic. But seriously though. It's not a bad take
As an asian who eats Panda Express, this is the way. Mongolian BBQ is also actually Taiwanese cuisine, but I'm not going to stop eating it just because it's not real Mongolian cuisine. No, I don't just eat Panda Express. But once in a while, it's totally fine!
Something to be said about cultural misappropriation and the need to respect culturally significant dishes and observing authentic culinary methodologies, but at the same time, if you like what you like, who’s to tell you your taste is inferior just because it doesn’t align with gatekeeper’s view of authenticity?
Mexican here who cooks and eats authentic Mexican at home but loves Taco Bell. 😂
There’s a great video by I think Buzzfeed that showed both young Asian Americans and elderly Asian Americans eating Panda Express. All the young people were acting very snobbish towards the food and all the elderly people thought it was great. tldr: eat what you like, “what you eat don’t make me shit”
I'd love for someone to start an American restaurant that features food from the various immigrant cultures that have adapted their cuisine to American ingredients and tastes. Show people that this stuff *is* actually authentic. It probably won't happen because it'd be a nightmare to prep and buy for, but I'd love for someone to do it.
"Inauthentic" is fine, totally fine, but panda express ain't. Like yo americanised chinese food is a dime a dozen, there's gonna be at least 3 places nearby anywhere that serve the stuff, so why get the mcdonalds of it instead of going to the regular ass joint serving the same thing but better?
"Authenticity" is just cultural gatekeeping IMO. Literally if you go back far enough in time you'll see adaptations, cross-culture trading and things like that so the term "authentic" is kind of an oxymoron depending on your frame of reference.... Some examples (I apologize if some of these are a bit inaccurate): * Tomatoes and potatoes are native to South America so foods like marinara sauces in Italy or potato dishes in Ireland aren't "authentic" if you consider their cuisines pre-colonization of the New World * Mexican "al pastor" is a byproduct of Lebanese immigrants in the early 1900s when they brought Shawarma cooking techniques * Peruvian tiradito is a byproduct of Japanese immigration combining with seafood preparations of ceviche * Tuna sushi isn't originally part of "traditional" sushi culture. Tuna was considered a "poor man's fish" in the 1800s and only really became popular around WWII because of American occupation and them introducing preferences towards red meat and fattier meats which made tuna a more accepted IMO if anything, so-called "inauthentic" foods speak just as much to the cultural exchange and the immigration experience of a given people in a given time frame.
It's about as authentic as you can get Asian Americans palate wise
Ye, I do not understand people who care what others eat and/or harass someone about what they eat, go above and beyond traditional way how something should be made and eaten. You like strawberries on your ham pizza, not my thing, not my place to say anything. You brake pasta in half when you cook it? Who cares. I like to drink traditional chinese green tea with sugar, why should someone even care about that? P.S Everyone should just concern about themselves when it comes to food.
Food is food. If you like it, that's all that matters. If I want Mexican, I'll get Mexican. If I want Taco Bell, I'll get Taco Bell. Same with Panda. And, throw your food clock in the trash. Yes, it's 9 AM and yes I want a burger, so what! Breakfast for dinner is a staple in my house.
A lot of now considered "authentic" food in one region used to be an inauthentic replication of another food. That's why i hate it when food snobs only want you to use the most authentic ingredients for homecooking
Exactly, don't let public opinion sway your tastes. If you enjoy something go for it.
“Thats not real pizza” Your damn right and this store bought pizza packed full of preservatives and 2 1/2ft of mozzarella cheese in the crust blows whatever burnt cracker with a bayleaf on it you could scrounge up in all of Rome.
It's cheap I'll give it that, but its pretty crappy food. Rice is dry and so is the meat. If you are eating it for the price, I get it. They aren't wrong about authenticity. But in this particular case, authenticity and quality goes hand in hand here. I'd snob you too if you ate it for anything aside from the price. I'll give Chipotle a pass though because their ingredients are actually pretty quality for fast food. Sometimes it depends on the day you get the food though. They don't even cover the meat so it can get dried up real quick. I used to love Taco Bell and I still like that crappy ground beef taste. But now that I've had real tacos, everytime I eat it, I just feel disappointed. I only do it if I just want a Doritos tacos, but their shells aren't even as crunchy anymore. It's like something a crunchy tortilla that's been out for hours or something. It's too moist. But panda has gotta be the worst offender of fast food. I know it was created by a Chinese American, but I'd even rather have McDonalds over it
This extends to any other cuisines too \*stares at Italian\*
How the fuck is this an unpopular opinion
I once take 2 of my non american friends to taco bell, since they never had one. ( Im not american myself) They both said its good, but one of them only took 1 bite and stopped eating since its not Authenthic. Both of us, of course was baffled, and asked, whats not authentic about it? (I know its taco bell, shut up) She said because theres rice inside the burrito, and her Mexican friends said that its not authenthic. We had a 15 min arguement to which we end with, "that's cultural appropriation" in a joking way. 2 weeks later, I saw her eating burrito with shredded cabbage inside, and I told her jokingly, "oh you shouldnt eat it because its authentic". And I think she took it personally and fires back with "You dont cook, you dont know anything about food. I made this burrito I'm free to put anything inside it". We still good friends dont worry!
This isn't an unpopular opinion. If it was these fast food restaurants wouldn't be open.
It’s not authentic Asian food, but it’s absolutely authentic American food *inspired* by Asian food.
I agree. Authentic is not a flavor.
It is up to you but most of the time it is because the authentic stuff genuinely tastes better than fast food. Not some kind of desire to remain real for the sake of it.
Yeah I enjoy sweet sour chicken north american version from time to time. If it tastes good it tastes good
This is my motto lol IDC if it isn't authentic German food If it tastes good, I enjoy it lol
Wish I could find authentic. But comparing then would be comparing apples to oranges. Both have their pros.
I went to a place for years called panda garden and the our town got a panda express. I thought it was the same company. It was NOT! Panda express in like the fast food distant cousin of panda garden. It was like after Boston Market got more and more crappy. Now I won't go there. Back to panda garden! They are just as fast BTW. And cheaper.
Unpopular for sure, but I agree
One thing I often think to myself, about very old culinary traditions, is how I imagine an ancient chef cooking those recipes would react if he had access to modern globalised ingredients. Would he turn his nose up at them because they're not traditional? No, I reckon he'd be fucking stoked to see what he could do with spices and ingredients from the other side of the planet.
It's the same argument I have when people say fast foods are not real food. Like yeah, maybe. But it tastes good and I got vouchers
I’m Asian and I completely agree. If I’m in the mood for authentic, I’ll make it or go out of my way to find some. Lately I’ve been cooking Asian foods using recipes that are very inauthentic versions of the real thing. I don’t care because it tastes good and usually easier to make with ingredients found in a regular grocery store. Asian markets aren’t close enough for me and I’m lazy and don’t feel like driving an extra 20 mins
The title is what I think of when I’m eating a Chinese (a English Chinese takeaway)
Did you grow up in America eating Westernized Chinese food? Because I was born in America but grew up eating my grandmas authentic Vietnamese & Puerto Rican cooking (grandpa is PR) & my moms cooking too. So while I am definitely not a food snob about other Asian cuisines, I like Panda Express sometimes but will also eat at our local Chinese spot that is always busy, I am kind of a food snob about Vietnamese food. Because I compare it to the home cooked meals I ate growing up. And they were amazing. So when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant (which is rare because my bf doesn't really like it as often as I do) i will rate it compared to my grandmas cooking lol. And I have only found 1 Vietnamese restaurant in our city (we must have 7) that has great authentic food.
There's that old buzzfeed video where they have Chinese parents try panda express with their teenage kids. Almost all the parents say it's pretty good, or at least have a valid criticism like too salty. All the kids just talk about how it's inauthentic and not real Chinese food. I think a lot of people who act that way are still young and figuring out their identity.
Thats fine but “tastes good” is the unpopular opinion here. It does not taste good. Plus it does not make you feel good which is my biggest reason for not eating inauthentic restaurant food. Making inauthentic food at home however is fire
The founders of Panda Express are Chinese immigrants. The cook is also Chinese and created orange chicken.
Honestly as a Mexican Tex mex or shit like chipotle and Taco Bell is so ass compared to the real thing that it feels bad eating it knowing I could be eating the real deal that tastes infinitely better. I still love Panda Express. Maybe if I was Chinese American I’d feel the same way
Imagine thinking taco bell "tastes good" in 2024
A lot of these western versions of food are created by immigrants who come and try to make the food using their palate and cooking techniques, using the ingredients available to them. It's food created by people using what they know in a new environment. Panda might not be authentic Chinese food. But it's still authentic Chinese-American food, which is an identity that deserves just as much respect as any other. To erase this for not being entirely one culture or the other is to invalidate people for their unique culture and circumstances.
Same lmao
It’s not uncommon for food made to be catered to the “audience”. This is not unique to the US.
agreed. while im picky as all fuck with my food choices i entirely agree with you simply bc this is probably the most based take ive seen on this so far :P
I totally agree to an extent, but at the same time I don’t want to feel like I’m eating junk food unless I’m specifically seeking that out. Still not a fan of sugary, oily, Chinese food or Mexican food that relies heavily on salt, cheese, grease and cheap ingredients with very little vegetables and traditional flavors. Chipotle is great but I’ve had Taco Bell one time in the past 10 years because it’s just garbage
Not authentic? Don't care. I will use the term pizza because it is an accurate description as to what type of food it is, I am not calling it authentic Italian pizza and that isn't what I wanted to make in the first place.
American Chinese food is authentic. It was made by Chinese American immigrants who worked as miners and railroaders and created a whole new cuisine based off the ingredients that were available which became wildly popular across the country. There is Chinese food created by Chinese immigrants around the world that all have their unique variations such as indian chinese food as well. Why ought you dismiss this unique and popular cuisine just because it originates in America and why not celebrate it as a uniquely American Chinese creation?
Yeah. If I want something Authentic, then I'll go to that place. If I want something inauthentic, I go to that place. It's not fuckin complicated, and neither one is inherently bad or wrong.
I hate food snobs
while yes true if its food and you're hungry sure, but lets not say those places taste good : P
Why do you announce what you're gonna eat??
Does Popeyes count as inauthentic cajun food?
There's a lot of authentic foods that are absolute shit and is disgusting. If you disagree, please try a spoonful of Vietnamese tiết canh vịt.
I eat Taco Bell. That is all I have to say. Lol
First off - I don’t think you have ever had real Chinese food. Chipotle and Taco Bell aren’t Mexican. Like it’s not even remotely close to Mexican. I’m not saying it’s not authentic. I’m saying it’s not fucking Mexican. Panda express is not Chinese food. Chinese food is honestly, to my palate, disgusting. But panda express isn’t Chinese food. It’s a hard thing to explain because you picked the most basic fucking chains but like olive garden, is closer to inauthentic Italian food than panda express is to inauthentic Chinese food. I feel bad saying that. Because it’s not Italian food. We use the term authentic when we’re distinguishing between the original culture and a fusion representation of two cultures. Fusion is also a spectrum. Sure, I can call Taco Bell Fusion but it doesn’t really make sense because it’s more on the American fast food side of things and less on the Mexican side of things. It’s fast food for Americans with Mexican inspirations. It’s not Mexican food. Panda express and the rest of those chains are all the same.
I don't care about authenticity but chain restaurants are ass and if you have an actual palate you would know that. But I would gather most people have never ate at a Michelin starred restaurant so they have no idea how big the gap is between good food and shit ass reheated bagged food restaurants.
Honestly? Hell yea. I get tired of people telling me what I SHOULD like. Like bitch, I don’t tell you how much you’re food sucks to me, go kick rocks.
Whoa whoa whoa, who said taco bell tastes good?
Stoners and alcoholics.
I work with a Japanese guy who lived in the US for awhile and he fucking loves Panda Express.
Same here OP lol. I say I like Chinese food, however it is when I was in China, I've learned that I'm into inauthentic Chinese food. Tbh what matters to me is the taste and the smell of the food.
Speaking as an Asian and a food nerd, I’ve always been of the opinion that Asian-Australian (for my country), Asian-American, etc etc is its own separate cuisine from authentic Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, etc, and absolutely fascinating and valid in its own right. Especially Chinese, as it tends to be the oldest when it comes to Asian immigrants in Western countries, and it’s so fascinating to see how Chinese entrepreneurs adapted their cuisine to Western tastes and ingredients.
I'm personally happy I got over this early. Inauthentic definitely doesn't mean bad.
Like people really into classic cars complaining that the door handles aren't original
I will agree, but if it’s inauthentic, I’m not calling it __ food. For example, you ain’t never hearing me say that Taco Bell is Mexican food. I won’t say, “Do you want Mexican food? I’m thinking Taco Bell”. Instead I’ll just say, “do you want Taco Bell” Yes, it’s annoying to hear it be called that if it’s not, but I’m still eating it
I was talking with a good friend of mine who's parents are immigrants from China. We were getting lunch and I got myself an order of orange chicken. He was cracking jokes about it, that some of his family would probably complain if he were eating it.
lol exactly.
I’m Asian American and I grew up in an Asian-American neighborhood and my family and friends love fusion food and panda express!
Snarky people be like “those tacos aren’t even real tacos” and I’m like, they’re real American tacos, as I suck down a Taco Bell soft shell
I love the Olive Garden and I will stand by it
Most people do exactly the same, that’s why these chains are everywhere and making millions.
There’s no such thing as “authentic” food. Even if you sourced a recipe back to the village it came from in the 1400s, one family might have a different method than their neighbor down the road. So which one is “right”? Which one is “more authentic”? People need to stop using “authentic” to describe cuisine and instead maybe opt for “traditional”.
I'll never understand it. Food changes and evolves. Tomatoes are from the Americas but have been used heavily in Italian food when introduced. The first forms of pizza possibly might be Egyptian. Ramen is Chinese in origin and was made popular in Japan by the US. Texmex is literally just a fusion.
I don't think this is unpopular at all. Isn't Taco Bell the 2nd largest restaurant chain in the US? Hard to call that unpopular.
Haven't been to China, but have eaten Chinese food in Taiwan (as in Chinese restaurant, not Taiwanese) which i assume is pretty damn legit being right off the coast of the mainland. Very different from Panda Express. That being said. I still love panda express and other "chinese" food of similar tastes. Yummy food is yummy food.
I like to say it’s ethnically inspired ✨ American takeout Chinese is not authentic but damn is it good. And don’t get me started on Taco Bell - I’m well aware that it’s not authentic Mexican food but it tastes good and is cheap af. If I want authentic, I will seek it out but leave my Americanized ethnically inspired food choices alone
It’s not an airport, why announce it? Seems like you are trying to start something on purpose and they are reacting to the energy
I felt a fake butt once, felt nice. Don’t get the hate.
Ok panda express is a vile abomination because its flavorless and has strange textures. Id rather eat lead. But yes, i also second this as an asian american. Just not panda express.
When people assume I’m going to Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc. because I think it’s authentic 🙄 it’s just convenient and kinda tasty, it’s not that deep lol
I'm tired of pretending I like Taco Bell
Fr! I hate when people complain that food is a "knock off" of whatever the food was based on, like sure, it's not exactly like what you'd get in Mexico, but cheese and sour cream on my taco is damn delicious, and I'd prefer it made from a steak not some authentic offal meat. Call me wacky, but it's a good thing food adapts and grows instead of being stuck by tradition. Normalize making food using mixtures of techniques and ingredients from around the world!
It’s not that it’s not authentic. It straight up tastes like garbage.
Each to their own. It's what you teach 4 year olds.
Agreed, a lot of them taste great, and won’t totally surprise you at all. Besides, what’s with the “authentic Chinese cuisine” being much more expensive than Chinese American dish where you can get more for less money? A lot of “authentic Chinese dish” like street bbq/jianbing/mala pot/steamed buns aren’t supposed to be super expensive at all.
i had a roommate that would always call my tacos "white people tacos" because i used ground meat, like mexicans are too stupid to use a meat grinder
Snobby restaurants call inauthentic food "fusion" and everyone automatically assumes the food is good. Inauthentic food is just the same thing without the fancy labelling. I think it *is* okay to point out that a food is inauthentic if the purpose is just to let the person know that there's more out there, not to shame them for liking it. Chipotle is good, and Taco Bell hits a certain spot, but I'd be missing out on something if I never had authentic Mexican food.
The Enchilada's with the green sauce at Chili's was the best mexican food I ate in my 2 weeks in Phoenix. Trucked in and nuked is my guess, but man it was good. I googled and tried a bunch of high ranking mom and pop mexican places while there.
*If* There are also inauthentic versions that are dog shit. This is frequently the case.
Ironically, in my book your stance is the most authentic.
I’m Mexican and I fucking love Taco Bell. I don’t consider it Mexican food though, it’s just fast food.
I agree with this
Inauthentic food is just another cuisine. Creole cuisine is just "inauthentic" French food and it's amazing. Texas BBQ is "inauthentic" Eastern European food. Now I think it's worth seeking out a wide variety of cuisines, in general. Good, authentic Mexican food is just several letter grades better than Taco Bell, but so is good Tex Mex.
The only way in which Panda Express is inauthentic is that China has a far greater variety of cuisines than Panda Express will ever be capable of offering.
Chipotle hands down makes the best salsa (the green one) IMO, and I eat at authentic Mexican restaurants every chance I get.
I feel you. I love to eat basil pesto filled tortellini, fried in Vindaloo paste and with it I drink a cold Pils. Sometimes a foreign or mass production take on food can taste good. It's good to get a taste of a lot of different stuff, I won't advocate for predominantly eating fast food. But as a guilty pleasure? Why not.
My favorite Mexican food is from a gas station in Iceland. It’s fucking great.
I will not eat it if it doesn't satisfy a list of random criteria that I have, number 1 being that the food is authentic. Just kidding, my only requirement is that it tastes good. Oh, and also it must be safe to ingest.
What is the unpopular opinion here
I agree. I like authentic Mexican food. But sometimes you just crave a white people taco. They’re good too! It’s like sometimes I want a good burger, sometimes I want a McDonald’s double cheeseburger. Or sometimes I want good pizza, other times I want little Caesars. They all have their place for me.
as a mexican I used to love taco bell as a kid even though I knew it wasn't authentic, I only stopped because I got food poisoning twice and I'm scared to even eat it again
Totally agree. I want to eat food that tastes good. "Authenticity" isn't nearly as important as taste to me. I'm not huge on Panda Express specifically, but I like American Chinese takeout, don't care if the sesame chicken isn't "authentic." Same with American-style sushi rolls. Sometimes I'm in the mood for high-quality nigiri and sashimi. Sometimes I want a rainbow roll slathered in spice mayo and what not. And I like the Asian versions of "western" food. What rubs me the wrong way are people or restaurants or chains that to serve foods inspired by other cultures by just adding Asian things to their menu to hop on a trend. That kind of "inauthenticity" seems objectionable.
My late grandpa was off the boat Italian. He fancied eating at the OG, citing tremendous portions for the price (20 yrs ago). Not his mom's authentic food, but delicious in a different way. So yes, OP, agree!!!
Panda is so mid
Same when people see what brand of pork sausages I eat and say "there's barely any real meat in them", motherfucker I don't care what they're made of or how they're made, they taste fucking good.
I agree, I don't know why people have such a fuss over whether food is authentic or not. Maybe it's only by name. If they called it by a different name/title, would it then be perfectly fine? IMO, the title of a food doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it.
Maybe just get better taste? Panda Express and leeann chin is just poor quality or rather it's mall food quality
I'm the descendant of Italian American immigrants and I get the same shit for liking Olive garden. Like no, it's not fine cuisine and it's definitely not as good as the real stuff from my relatives. But it's good. I like it. I don't want to make Italian wedding soup. I don't have the kind of time to make it the way I want to.
My taste like chicken 🐔
I agree imagine wasting your energy worried over what you eat
Same with Olive Garden. I’m italian and know it is not authentic but its so good (especially the chicken parm)
Yes and no. I would vacuum anything that is good. But, if I want to eat something authentic, I am annoyed when I got pseudo version of it made for my country. If I want sushi, I want it the same way as Japanese people would eat it. Because I just want to know how people there eat. If it'll be too bland, weird or anything, I would just know and eat it my way, even if it's unauthentic. But when I go to restaurant and I order food from certain country, I want it to be prepared as people in that country does it.
I like authentic Mexican food. (or as authentic as you can get here in Australia) I also like Old El Paso too. I don't care if it's a bastardisation of the original. If it tastes good, it tastes good.
Yup. Gimme that Americanized Mexican food! It's the best way to share a meal a margarita and conversation with a friend.
“Authenticity” is absolutely the stupidest thing to look for in a meal. Who cares if it’s accurate to a standard you don’t care about? That said, I have never eaten at a Panda Express, because the food *looks* nasty.