The History of Ethnic Food

The history of restaurants, food and, especially, fine dining, is deeply tied to the history of immigration to the U.S. and French cultural power in the early 20th century. Not surprisingly, the story that leads to Yelp and Anthony Bourdain is not without its share of racism that the modern food world and its taste makers are still grappling with today. We speak to three experts who study food culture and fine dining about the perceptions and definitions of what’s considered good food. We explore how food trends are deeply tied to immigration, how the history of western culinary techniques limits the creativity and authenticity of modern restaurants and how social media compares to the Michelin Guide as a tool in the quest for "good food." 

Featuring Krishnendu Ray, a professor of food studies at New York University in the US, Zeena Feldman is a professor of digital culture at King's College in London, in the UK, and Gillian Gualtieri is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Barnard College in the US. 

This episode was produced and written by Dan Merino and Katie Flood. Mend Mariwany is the executive producer of The Conversation Weekly. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. Full credits for this episode available here.

Further reading: 

• Why celebrity, award-winning chefs are usually white men
• Noma to close: why it’s so hard to run a sustainable innovation-focused restaurant
• Red meat and imported wine: why ethical eating often stops at the restaurant door