Cultural Appropriation & Mexican Food (Pt. 1: Who Owns Mexican Food?)
02/01/21 • 17 min
Mexican food is complex, delicious, and ... divisive. In this three-part series, I dive into the raging debate about the cultural appropriation of Mexican food, asking Mexicans from across the spectrum—high-end chefs, traditional indigenous cooks, and anti-racism activists—what they think about outsiders profiting from their traditional dishes. This series challenged so many of my assumptions: about how racism plays out in a context very different to the U.S., about the Western obsession with individual genius, and about what respecting another culture actually means.
In this week’s episode, Part I, I speak to Mexico’s most famous chef, Enrique Olvera, who has been accused of cultural appropriation for selling mole developed by indigenous communities from the State of Oaxaca in his slick Mexico City restaurant.
Instagram: @lostinmexico.podcast and @nita.rao0112
Facebook: @lostinmexico
Website: www.lostinmexico.com
Mexican food is complex, delicious, and ... divisive. In this three-part series, I dive into the raging debate about the cultural appropriation of Mexican food, asking Mexicans from across the spectrum—high-end chefs, traditional indigenous cooks, and anti-racism activists—what they think about outsiders profiting from their traditional dishes. This series challenged so many of my assumptions: about how racism plays out in a context very different to the U.S., about the Western obsession with individual genius, and about what respecting another culture actually means.
In this week’s episode, Part I, I speak to Mexico’s most famous chef, Enrique Olvera, who has been accused of cultural appropriation for selling mole developed by indigenous communities from the State of Oaxaca in his slick Mexico City restaurant.
Instagram: @lostinmexico.podcast and @nita.rao0112
Facebook: @lostinmexico
Website: www.lostinmexico.com
Previous Episode
Chef Enrique Olvera on Cultural Appropriation, Trump's Possible Reelection, and Tex-mex
In this special episode, I speak to Mexico's most famous chef, Enrique Olvera, owner of two of the world's top 25 restaurants—Pujol in Mexico City (ranked 12th) and Cosme in New York City (ranked 23rd). Chef Olvera opened up about a number of controversial issues, including the alleged cultural appropriation of Mexican cuisine by white chefs in the United States, the prohibitive cost of his restaurants for many Mexicans, and the possible reelection of Donald Trump. And he had a surprising take on Tex-mex! To check out a video of the interview, head to our Lost in Mexico YouTube channel.
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC7shxS083jK8MwU0S7UqyPw
Instagram: @lostinmexico.podcast and @nita.rao0112
Facebook: @lostinmexico
Website: www.lostinmexico.com
Next Episode
Vicente Fox, Ex-President of Mexico, on the Drug War, President López Obrador, and the Migrant Surge
Vicente Fox was President of Mexico from 2000-2006. In this wide-ranging interview, he opens up about his campaign to legalize marijuana and curb the power of drug cartels, his concerns about Mexico's democratic future under President López Obrador, and the migrant surge at Mexico's northern and southern borders. And I pressed him on some of the contradictions in his record, which made for some revealing, if slightly testy, exchanges. To check out a video of the interview, head to our Lost in Mexico YouTube channel!
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC7shxS083jK8MwU0S7UqyPw
Instagram: @lostinmexico.podcast and @nita.rao0112
Facebook: @lostinmexico
Website: www.lostinmexico.com
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