Do We Really Want Authentic Food?

Whilst cleaning up my bookmarks this evening, I stumbled across an article entitled Become Spoiled Moroccan Royalty for an Evening: The Allure of Ethnic Eateries. Rene Diamond’s argument really helped me solidify some of my ideas on the meeting of cultures in consumer society; so much so that I have cited this essay many times in papers and discussions. In fact, it even came today over lunch, whilst discussing Indian attempts at western cuisine and ethnic-food fetishes in Australia (including the know ubiquitous “zarlzar,” or as it is known to people in the rest of the world, “salsa”).