8 Comments
Jul 26, 2021Liked by meryenda

I really enjoyed reading this issue. After reading about the Filipino government’s desire to standardise adobo on various web platforms, I’ve been thinking a bit more about peoples’ sensitivity to it (given that I myself wasn’t sure about how to react to it.) There’s a benefit to standardising adobo; but equally, educating people on regional differences (in the same way that Japan has done with ramen and okonomiyaki) is essential.

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Jul 27, 2021Liked by meryenda

Nice to see everyone's perspectives and opinions of the standardisation of Adobo. I agree that we'll loose the regional variations and the stories behind it, but strategically this is actually what the Thai government did way back when (Google 'The Pad Thai Conspiracy My Name Is Andong'). Feelings and emotions aside - having a more unified gateway to our cuisine, especially as an initial intro is worth a try. I like Carla's mention of the way Japan has educated people on regional differences, similarly we don't always know the regional nuances for the Japanese recipes we eat here and cook ourselves, but we can still appreciate it and later, it might mean we want to explore the culture and travel there. I think a balance of both would be beneficial. Butter chicken, kimchi toasties, spaghetti bolognese and teriyaki as we know it aren't exactly 'authentic' to their respective cuisines, but they are ways that people become curious and get an initial taste before delving deeper. I think getting that initial curiosity is the hard part.

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i'm an asian american who adores food and can't get enough of the different varieties and tastes. So i logged in hoping to know more about adobe because i've heard the word but don't know what it is exactly and i still don't LOL. But for what it's worth, food and everything else humans are involved with are messy and evolving and that's OK. i like knowing about the basics and traditions else i wouldn't have clicked on this but don't get so exclusive that someone feels left out. I'm part japanese but no matter how long i live in japan i will never be japanese according to them whereas i see the Irish celebrate their people if they only have an irish name and darn, sometimes i wish i were irish!

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