A couple days ago, my friend decided that she had too much spaghetti laying around and it would be a good idea to make a Carbonara. Although it is not a very, or actually at all, Greek dish, we use to cook it often back home, even if, to the dismay of many Italians, we put Crème fraîche in it, so I eagerly volunteered to help. The result, even without Crème fraîche but more close to the original recipe, for me was great. It was creamy and light and delicious, the rest seemed to have quite a different take, for them it was very bland, so they were quick to mix it with ketchup, vinegar, rice and whatever was available on the kitchen counter, making sure that any Italian that survived my Crème fraîche comment would be sure to die now. I was surprised, how can such a delicious plate, seem bland to them?
After that, I though to my own experience, one of the things I miss the most, while in Indonesia, is Greek food, especially a nice piece of feta cheese. It was the same when I was away in Denmark, I had never craved Gyro so much in my life. Why did I miss food so much? I think it is the cultural aspect of food that makes it so close to our eager souls. Every traditional dish has a different significance for us. With Gemista and Pastichio, I always remember summer and my grandma bringing it in a big tray for all to eat. I have closely associated Christmas with the sweets you use to find in the local bakeries when the time comes around (so around November). And before I start writing a Telenovela with how melodramatic I am becoming, think about it. It makes sense, right?
Every region has specific food growing there. People didn’t have the luxury and easiness of transporting food far away, so they were mostly cooking with what was offered. That is why our local foods are usually made with things that can grow in our land, more or less. That is why some cuisines that were far from spices tend to have more flat food than others. I mean there was a small thing called colonialism, because the west wanted more spices. And yes of course nowadays a lot of us can eat from whatever cuisine we want, but our local food still remains the same. I mean try to convince my Indian roommate that any food without the appropriate Masala (spices) can still taste good.
I am of course not pretending to give an amazing new perceptive that no one has thought before. It is more a revelation to myself, I guess, to see how much the food we like has to do with who we are and where we come from. It is also interesting to finally understand, that really there is good and bad tasting food, just the things we are used to eating.
The Indonesian Chronicles 