When Chefs Become Famous Cooking Other Culture's Food By Maria Godoy

Cultural appropriation describes the adoption of specific aspects of a culture that is are not our own, this becomes evident when a dominant group adopts elements from minority group. Adopting elements of different cultures is a consequence of the interaction of diverse groups indicating that a society is embracing change therefore becoming diverse. However, where do we draw the line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, is it considered respect for other cultures or the exploitation of a culture. This is considered an issue because some see it as a form of aggression that diminishes a value of an entire culture. There are many examples in modern culture and mass media concerning cultural appropriation.
In Maria Godoy’s article “When Chefs Become Famous Cooking Other Culture’s Food” she introduces chef Rick Bayless, an American chef specializing in Mexican cuisine.
In the article the author mentions how he is accused of cultural theft, a Caucasian cook cooking authentic Mexican cuisine. Trustfully speaking, I don’t see anything wrong with that, who gets to be the ambassador of a cuisine. Chef Bayless seems very respectful and fond of Mexican cuisine, he went through great lengths to learn the language and spent years traveling through Mexico devoting his time to gaining a deeper understanding of the culture to make it his own.
The article “A Portland Burrito Cart Shutters After Being Accused of Cultural Appropriation” brought up by Julio Torres is very similarity to Maria Godoy’s.
It is a story of two white women who travelled to Mexico and came up with the idea of selling tacos in Portland, Oregon. The public’s response wasn’t so welcoming; the backlash was so overwhelming the burrito joint closed down simply because it the two women were white. One thing to keep in mind is that the two women put in the effort similar to Chef Bayless to perfect making tortillas.
I feel like cultural appropriation should be encouraged as long as it is respected and not mocked. Societies should be open to share their culture. I feel for those who project their negative ideas, they feel a sense of violation when an outsider adopts a part their culture whether it be cuisine or fashion and uses it get rich. However, these allegations of “cultural appropriation” are overwhelmingly being used to object the mixing of different cultures, religions, thoughts which often result in the discovery of entirely new ones i.e. melting
pot.