Cross-Cultural Cooking

Our French son-in-law recently made us crepes. I thought they were fantastic. He was slightly disappointed with them. Not his best.

Cooking in another person’s kitchen with different utensils and slightly different ingredients is always a challenge.

Adding in another country multiples the problems.

My mother came to visit me in England. She made Southern Fried Chicken. It was really tasty, but she was disappointed with it. She didn’t think it was her best. The ingredients were different; not what you’d find in Memphis. And I didn’t have a cast iron skillet.

For me, I like making Shrimp and Grits. Forget the grits if you are in some other country. They’re not usually even in a dictionary. If I asked for grits in a grocery store, they may think I’m wanting to buy some dirt.

After our daughter’s wedding, the new French in-laws stayed with us a few extra days. The dad, who is originally from Cambodia, is an excellent cook. He was going to make us a meal.

They spoke almost no English and we spoke no French. Their daughter spoke English fairly well. It fell on her to try to translate various cooking ingredients and techniques.

Try explaining Cambodian ingredients from French to English. And then at one point it was like a game. We were trying to figure out a thickening ingredient for a sauce.

Do they have cornstarch in France? Does arrowroot translate? I’m wondering what they thought I meant by “arrow-root”. I hope they did not think I was threatening them.

He had adapted Cambodian dishes to France. Now he had to readapt to what was available in Colorado. I can’t remember exactly what he ended up using to thicken his sauce, but I do remember that the meal was fantastic. (He probably thought it wasn’t his best).

So if you are cooking in someone else’s kitchen or country, give yourself a break. It might not turn out exactly as you plan. It might not be your best.

Shrimp and polenta with Asian hot sauce, anyone?