PRIDE IN THE FOOD WE EAT

PRIDE IN THE FOOD WE EAT

Every person is proud of the food he/she eats and it is simply uncivilized to criticise the food and drink that belongs to another culture, and another civilization. There are travel shows of the television and travel writers of all shades and taste who effortlessly opine on food and drink every day and feel that the freedom of expression gives them the liberty to speak out their mind. But, should they not be careful, lest the feelings and emotions of certain nationalities get bruised? After all, because national dishes are so interwoven into a nation's sense of identity, strong emotions and conflicts can arise when trying to choose a country's national dish.

It is impossible to choose a single national dish, even unofficially, for countries such as India, Mexico or China   because of their diverse ethnic populations and cultures. The cuisine of such countries simply cannot be represented by any single national dish. The biriyani of Lucknow and the biriyani of Hyderabad are both famous but vastly different and still vive for the coveted position of the National Dish of India. But the mustard Hilsa fish curry of Kolkata, the spicy prawn curry of Goa, the idli and dosa of Chennai and the Zaika-e-Kashmir Rogan josh will not be left behind. So in order to let peace prevail, India has no National Dish and the modest ‘Khichri’ seems to be acceptable to all. But try telling these guys that their dish of choice is not that good, and you will surely have a war in your hands.

National Dish

People love their food and smaller nations with less cultural and culinary diversity love their chosen food so much that they have raised it to the level of a National Dish. National dishes are part of a nation's identity and self-image. During the age of European empire-building, nations would develop a national cuisine to distinguish themselves from their rivals.

A national dish is a culinary dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons:

• It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs that can be prepared in a distinctive way, such as fruits de mer, served along the west coast of France.
• It contains a particular 'exotic' ingredient that is produced locally, such as the South American paprika grown in the European Pyrenees.
• It is served as a festive culinary tradition that forms part of a cultural heritage—for example, barbecues at summer camp or fondue at dinner parties—or as part of a religious practice, such as Korban Pesach or Iftar celebrations.
• It has been promoted as a national dish, by the country itself, such as the promotion of fondue as a national dish of Switzerland by the Swiss Cheese Union (Schweizerische Käseunion) in the 1930s. Pilaf (O'sh), a national dish in the cuisines of Central Asia

Malaysian Nasi Lemak 

Thus Afhanisthan has Kabuli pulaw, Argentina has Empanada (which look like our Gujia of Holi), Australia has Pie and Vegimite on toast, Bangladesh has Shorsre Ilish, Belgium has Belgian Waffles, Bhutan has Ema Datshi, Canada has Poutine, Denmark has Stegt Flæsk, Egypt has Ful medames, France has Crepe and Pot-au-feu, Germany has Sauerbraten, Greece has Gyro and Moussaka, Hungary has Guliyas, Iran has Abgoosht, Israel has Meorav Yerushalmi, Italy has Pasta, Japan has Sushi, Kuwait has Machboos, Lebanon has Kibbeh, Malaysia has Nasi Lemak, Mauritius has Octupus curry, Myanmar has Mohinga, Nepal has Daal bhat, New Zealand has bacon and egg pie, Norway has Fårikål, Pakistan has Seekh Kebab, Philippines has Adobo, Portugal has  Cozido à Portuguesa, Saudi Arabia has Kabsa, South Africa has Bobotie, Korea has Kimchi, Spain has  Tortilla española, Sri Lanka has Kottu and Kiribath, Switzerland has Cervelat, Taiwan has beef noodle soup, Thailand has Pad thai and tom yum goong, Turkey has Doner , U.K has fish and chips, U.S.A has McDonalds, KFC and their likes hijacking the national food scenario.

 

Chicken Tikka - claimed by India, Pakistan and U.K.

Australian Pie

National Dish of Egypt - Koshari

Strange foods

The Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia have got a few things on their menus that aren’t for the faint-hearted. Arachnophobes, steer clear of the fried spiders! These are a regional delicacy in the town of Skuon in Cambodia and these species of tarantula are the size of a human palm. In Iceland and Greenland they eat a dish called Hákarl – aka fermented shark, which stinks of ammonia but gives calories to fight the biting cold. The U.S has its own share of weird food festivals - The Testicle Festival, also known as “Testy Festy” in Montana, dedicates itself to deep fried bulls balls and the Road Kill Cook Off festival boasts an assortment of dishes made with the kind of creatures you’d often find stuck to a car tire, including: possum, porcupine and squirrel which are fried, skewered and stewed. The Masai people of Kenya drink animal’s blood to celebrate the birth of a child as well as consuming it as part of their regular diet. China is proud of something they call “Thousand Year Egg” which is pretty self-explanatory, although not quite a thousand years, these duck, chicken and quail eggs are buried in a mixture of ash, salt, rice and clay for several weeks or months. Korea has a wine and it’s got baby mice in it, that’s right, baby mice that are plunged (still alive) into a rice wine; it supposedly tastes like gasoline but the Korean swear that it is a “health tonic”. 

Be cautious with your comments

Recently an Aussie travel writer Sacha Baron Cohen upset the Kazakhs with his portrayal of their national dish. He mentioned in a recent feature story that, to his palate, boiled horse meat with pasta sheets and stewed onions is not very tasty. He also stated his intention of never to drink kumis, a beverage of fermented horse milk that's extremely popular in Kazakhstan, ever again.

Kazakh National Dish

The story was published a few weeks ago, and nothing happened. Then a Kazakh news service discovered the English feature story and translated it into Russian, with a few slightly unfair flourishes of their own such as, "the writer added sarcastically" – when poor Cohen hadn't, in fact, intended any sarcasm – and a few mistranslations that made his review of the horse dish seem a lot snarkier. That was enough to rev up the online outrage machine. A few were in English, and said things like "you're stupid", and "Die. Die. Die. Die. Die." Pretty soon the trickle of fairly nasty comments had become a steady stream.The insults, and even the odd death threat (one, amusingly, from an account spruiking the power of a positive mind), began to pour in. Now, this travel journalist is not going to visit Kazakisthan in very near future!

Greek  National Dish Gyro

You can say whatever you want about a lot of countries. You can criticise their dress, you can question their politics, and you can make jokes about the weather. But don't mess with the food. Food, after all, is pride. Food is history. Food is identity. It's so closely linked to people's memories, to images that stretch back as far as they can remember. Food is the stuff your mum dished up when you were a kid, using recipes that her mum taught her, who in turn learned from hers. It's meals that have been prepared for celebrations throughout your life, created with joy and care. Food is passion. It's personality. So when some foreigner-come-lately arrives in your country and declares he doesn't like these cherished dishes – when he calls one of them "terrible" – you're going to get upset. You're going to feel insulted.

There is a flip side to the Cohen story too. When he wrote a glowing review of the food in Spain a few years ago he was invited into the local consulate for a meeting and he felt that he was some V.I.P , about to be awarded the keys to the country. People are proud of their food, intensely proud, and Spaniards are no exception. Food is one of those passions that's universal, that every country in every continent lives and breathes and celebrates. People will fight for it if they have to. They'll defend it to the death.

So trust me on this: if you want to make friends, don't say anything bad about the cuisine.