For me, authentic food has always signified that the person cooking the dish has a grown up eating it. As a child, their life was surrounded by this food and it brings memories to them as they cook it. I would say, it is also important to have an ethnic background connected to the certain dish. For example, an Asian cooking Asian food is more authentic if another race was cooking it. Authenticity also ties into the roots and culture of a food. Authentic food should be sourced from the place it is native to. Having a dish replicated in a different country is not authentic compared to the original source. Multiple factors affect the authenticity such as the ingredients, taste, atmosphere and the experience. The question of authenticity is a debatable question that is hard to decipher because it signifies a different meaning for everyone.

In class last Friday, the class discussed whether the Caribbean Restaurant, Gladys maintained the authenticity of its food. Its owners, two white Jewish males who traveled to Jamaica, bought back jerk chicken as its featured dish to promote their restaurant in a Caribbean community. Gladys’ promotion of jerk chicken from the Caribbean’s is an example of how food travels from one place to another. According to Mintz, “when food objects, processes-even ideas-spread from one society to another, the receiving society is likely to modify, often to misunderstand, and usually redefine what it has received “(MIntz 517). The jerk chicken made in Brooklyn would never be the same as the authentic version from Jamaica. There are so many factors that play against the authenticity. These include climate, experience and ingredients that are used for the chicken. Even though, the owners stressed that they imported the same wood from Jamaica, the taste would never be the same. The owners do not have the same length of experience of cooking the chicken as the guy that taught them. As Mintz stated, food tends to redefine itself in a new environment. The owners of Gladys may claim that their jerk chicken is authentic, but as consumers we never tried the real authentic chicken from Jamaica. We cannot possibly comprehend the truth behind their statement. Additionally, food tends to change itself to suit the taste buds of its consumers. The owners of Gladys may have altered or changed the recipe to fit the needs of the community. After all, Gladys is still a business trying to earn money. Businesses will seek and sell what the consumers want and their voices will be heard. The owner of Gladys even said that his original intention was to make another sandwich shop, but the community was not asking for it.

In all food service industries, I would say it is crucial to understand the history and background of the food. Without prior knowledge of the food, it is hard to maintain and cook it properly. The owners of Gladys did an excellent job in terms of enriching themselves with Jamaican culture. They went to the native country and absorbed everything they could about it. They took notes and videos of how the food was made and visited 80% of the country. I would say that is impressive from a consumer’s standpoint. The owners were determined to bring back native flavors to Brooklyn by exploring the afro/indo history of West Indian culture. This step enhanced the success of the restaurant as many locals of Caribbean background all enjoy the food. This comes to show that the owners tried their best to replicate the authentic jerk chicken from Jamaica. However, I still believe that their jerk chicken is not as authentic as the one found in Jamaica. On page 520, Mintz explains that once people become citizens of a society, their cultural identities change too. The owners have no cultural attachment to this food and the idea of an ethnicity connection is not present. The cooking techniques of a Jamaican and an American are not the same. Cultural identities affect how the food is produced no matter how hard on tries to maintain the authenticity of a replication. As I mentioned with my own definition of authenticity, Gladys jerk chicken does not fall into this category. There is no lifetime connection with this dish along with an ethnic attachment.