Recently, I've been watching a lot of Uncle Roger videos. The videos follow the Asian Uncle Roger character watching non-Asian people cook Asian dishes, bemoaning how incorrectly or badly the non-Asian person is cooking the Asian dish.

The videos stand out to me for their relatability. The character reminds me of the ups and downs of growing up with Asian parents, and more relevantly for this post, the flaccid attempts at Asian-ish dishes that peppered my growing up in suburban Michigan.

Before we go on, I want to lay out that I don't prioritize the notion of authenticity by itself: see my post on Chinese sushi. However, I do prioritize the notion of truthiness; if someone claims authenticity in food, they should use authentic ingredients and cooking methods. I like to see effort in knowing or figuring out the core appeal or style of a dish. Too often, like a terrible movie adaptation of a book, I instead see an attempt at attention or profit, or both, without regard for the original.

I like this adaptation framing because it leaves room for at least two good paths - creative and circumstantial adaptation. In creative adaptation, you create something new, with its own distinct appeal and style. And in circumstantial adaptation, you adjust something within the boundaries of your circumstances, certainly necessary given the influence of socioeconomic status on food access.