#south east asian cuisine

[confusedcultist]

This idiot had never heard of banana ketchup. Or the humble tamarind

the first person to turn an apple to sauce... what hubris. no other fruit gets this treatment. well, except for the wretched tomato. but that's a punishment, because the tomato is morally corrupt.

[trickstarbrave]

i need people to understand something being flavorful does not equate to it being spicy. you can spicy food that is otherwise very bland. you cannot use chili peppers to cover up a lack of balance or depth in a dish. a fuck ton of chili peppers will not disguise the fact you didn't use enough salt.

[kny-tai]

Carinderia The term "carinderia" is believed to have originated from the Tagalog  word "kari", borrowed from the Indian word "curry". The dish was adopted by Filipinos either from trades, regions or from Indian immigrants, and thus "karihan" or "kariyan" was used to describe a place where food, particularly the Filipino dish "kare-kare," was served. By observation, the hispanicization to some Tagalog words, where most store names in Spanish are formed from the name of the main product they sell and putting the ending '-ería' (e.g. panadería, frutería, perfumería). As a result, the word "carinderia / karinderya" was coined and used up to the present day. The month of April has a lot to celebrate and raise awareness such as Earth Month, Filipino Literature Month, and Filipino Food Month, reminding us  to savor our culture and be mindful of nature.

[edenfenixblogs]

Look what Google just recommended to me!!!!

I already own (and love) Shabbat and Portico.

But I am OBSESSED with the rest and must acquire them immediately.

Top of my list is Love Japan because LOOK AT THIS BEAUITFUL BOWL OF MATZO BALL RAMEN!!!!!

We hear a lot about Jewish people in Europe and MENA, but we do not hear a lot about Jewish culture as it blends with East Asian cultures, and that’s a shame. Not just because it erases the centuries of Jewish populations there, but also because there are plenty of people of mixed decent. People who may not have come directly from Jewish communities in East Asia, but people who have a Japanese Father and a Jewish Mother, for example. Or people in intercultural marriages. These are all real and valuable members of the Jewish community, and we should be celebrating them more. This cookbook focuses on Jewish Japanese American cuisine and I am delighted to learn more as soon as possible. The people who wrote this book run the restaurant Shalom Japan, which is the most adorable name I’ve ever heard. Everything about this book excites and delights me.

And of course, after that, I’m most interested in “Kugels and Collards” (as if you had any doubts about that after the #kugel discourse, if you were following me then).

This is actually written in conjunction with an organization of the same name devoted to preserving the food and culture of Jews in South Carolina!

I’m especially excited to read this one, because I have recently acquired the book Kosher Soul by the fantastic, inimitable Michael J. Twitty, which famously explores faith and food in African American Jewish culture. I’m excited to see how Jewish soul food and traditions in South Carolina specifically compare and contrast with Twitty’s writings.

I’m also excited for all the other books on this list!

A while ago, someone inboxed me privately to ask what I recommended for people to read in order to learn more about Jewish culture. I wrote out a long list of historical resources attempting to cover all the intricate details and historic pressure points that molded Jewish culture into what it is today. After a while I wrote back a second message that was much shorter. I said:

Actually, no. Scratch everything I just said. Read that other stuff if you want to know Jewish history.

But if you want to know Jewish culture? Cookbooks.

Read every Jewish cookbook you can find.

Even if you don’t cook, Jewish cookbooks contain our culture in a tangible form. They often explain not only the physical processes by which we make our meals, but also the culture and conditions that give rise to them. The food is often linked to specific times and places and events in diaspora. Or they explain the biblical root or the meaning behind the holidays associated with a given food.

I cannot speak for all Jews. No one can. But in my personal observation and experience—outside of actual religious tradition—food has often been the primary means of passing Jewish culture and history from generation to generation.

It is a way to commune with our ancestors. I made a recipe for chicken soup or stuffed cabbage and I know that my great grandmother and her own mother in their little Hungarian shtetl. I’ll never know the relatives of theirs who died in the Holocaust and I’ll never meet the cousins I should have had if they were allowed to live. But I can make the same food and know that their mother also made it for them. I have dishes I make that connect me to my lost ancestors in France and Mongolia and Russia and Latvia and Lithuania and, yes, Israel—where my relatives have lived continuously since the Roman occupation even after the expulsions. (They were Levites and Cohens and caretakers of synagogues and tradition and we have a pretty detailed family tree of their presence going back quite a long time. No idea how they managed to stay/hide for so long. That info is lost to history.)

I think there’s a strong tendency—aided by modern recipe bloggers—to view anything besides the actual recipe and procedures as fluff. There is an urge for many people to press “jump to recipe” and just start cooking. And I get that. We are all busy and when we want to make dinner we just want to make dinner.

But if your goal isn’t just to make dinner. If your goal is to actually develop an understanding of and empathy for Jewish people and our culture, then that’s my advice:

Read cookbooks.

[mashounen1945]

Traducción al castellano / Spanish translation:

@spaceshipsandpurpledrank:

[Posteó un video de TikTok hecho por "zestyz_official", mostrando en proceso de preparación de kofta de carne en pan de pita [link: https://www.tiktok.com/@zestyz_official/video/7134374274067959082]. El texto del video dice "Punto de vista: le pediste hamburguesas a tu madre árabe".]

@cannibalfilmphd:

Eso de ahí es una muy buena hamburguesa con el intrigante agregado de especias de Medio Oriente 👀👀👀 (y como todos sabemos, la variedad es el sabor de la vida, y el sabor es la variedad de la comida). También me intriga cómo puso la hamburguesa dentro del pan de pita (¿Es eso pan de pita?), lo cual lo convierte en una especie de "panini de hamburguesa". Tiene buena pinta, voy a tener que probarlo.

@raindearreindeer:

Quiero hacer esto para mi familia, pero mi mamá sospecha bastante de la carne si no está bien cocida (es decir, ridículamente seca), así que me pregunto cómo cocinarla lo suficiente sin quemar el pan.

@vergess:

Puedes cocinarlo en un pan de pita muy fino con una fina capa de carne picada -ya sea de ternera o de cordero- para que la carne se cocine completamente en solo 1 minuto por lado. Pero además, la carne roja queda "bien cocida" a 72 grados Celsius (o 160 grados Fahrenheit); para la carne blanca, la temperatura es 75 grados Celsius (o 165 grados Fahrenheit). En cuanto al pan, en realidad ni siquiera se tuesta hasta los 123 grados Celsius (o 255 grados Fahrenheit). Entonces, si preparas estas hamburguesas de tamaño completo en una sartén a fuego medio-bajo, o en un horno a 150 grados Celsius (o 300 grados Fahrenheit), tardará unos 20 minutos en cocinarse en vez de tardar sólo 3 minutos, pero definitivamente no quemará el pan y la carne quedará muy bien cocida. Aquí está la receta al horno que sugerí en otra parte del post: https://www.tasteofbeirut.com/kafta-in-pita/

@devilsuncomet:

Tengo curiosidad por saber cuáles son las especias/condimentos para la carne, tengo tantas ganas de hacer esto yo mismo.

@vergess:

Siempre tiene perejil fresco y el "sabaa baharat", la mezcla de siete especias libanesa. En el vídeo de TikTok, también hay cebolla, ajo y jalapeño. Mucha gente también le pone tomate o pasta de tomate. Mi mezcla favorita de siete especias tiene canela, pimienta negra, comino, clavo de olor, cilantro, pimienta de Tabasco o nuez moscada, y jengibre o cardamomo, todo en partes iguales. Pero a decir verdad, siempre y cuanto tenga los primeros cuatro, los demás pueden depender de ti. Hay quienes usan pimentón y cúrcuma, hay quienes usan zumaque y menta... Es algo muy variable. Además, si no quieres hacer la mezcla vos mismo, un buen "garam masala" (otra mezcla de especias, pero del Sudeste Asiático en vez de Medio Oriente) tendrá todas estas especias y algunas más, y es un excelente sustituto listo para usar.

@earhartsease:

Téngase en cuenta que acá se habla de las semillas del cilantro, no sus hojas: la semilla de cilantro es increíble, huele como un Paradise Lemon y queda muy bien con las gachas y con la avena. Somos parte de la gente que no puede consumir las hojas, pero las semillas son realmente deliciosas y fragantes.

@agnesmontague:

"Internet Shaquille" hizo un video súper accesible acerca de cómo hacer esta comida, incluida la mezcla de especias y qué usar si no puedes acceder a los ingredientes exactos. Este es el link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K45Fr4gXyM Tiene consejos bastante similares a lo que otros usuarios acá dijeron anteriormente, salvo que todo está en un único video útil como referencia.

[spiritsdancinginthenight]

The Princess of Xiaohe (Chinese: 小河公主) or Little River Princess was found in 2003 at Xiaohe Cemetery in Lop Nur, Xinjiang. She is also known as M11 for the tomb she was found in. She was buried around 3,800 years ago. Furthermore, she was named the Princess of Xiaohe due to her state of preservation and beauty, not her social status; there is no reason to believe she was any more important than the other mummies buried in the complex.

The Princess has blonde hair and long eyelashes, with some facial features more similar to Indo-Europeans, such as high cheekbones and pale skin. She seems to be smiling slightly. She was 152 centimetres tall. Chunks of cheese were found on her neck and chest, possibly as food for the afterlife. Her body was not embalmed before death, but mummified naturally due to the climate and burial method.

“Despite being genetically isolated, the Bronze Age peoples of the Tarim Basin were remarkably culturally cosmopolitan – they built their cuisine around wheat and dairy from West Asia, millet from East Asia and medicinal plants like Ephedra from Central Asia,” said senior author Christina Warinner, an associate professor of anthropology at Harvard University.

The Tarim Basin mummies in what is now southern Xinjiang were once thought to be Indo-European-speaking migrants from the West. Some thought that their ancestors migrated from what became southern Siberia, northern Afghanistan or the Central Asian mountains.

“The identity of the earliest inhabitants of Xinjiang, in the heart of inner Asia, and the languages that they spoke have long been debated and remain contentious,” wrote the team of 34 researchers from China, Germany, South Korea and the United States in peer-reviewed journal Nature on Wednesday.

[shalomniscient]

OH! sevchino thought that i suddenly had. in one of the asks you mentioned that you’re from SEA (me too!) was wondering what arle’s reaction would be if she would to taste south east asian cuisine, would she like them or would she have certain preferences?

omg i love this question !! had to sit and think about this one for a while HAHA for my non SEAsian or even non-msian gamers and moots, i'll add footnotes to the bottom of this post for each dish/food :)) ok last note before we get into the ask, i'm msian myself, so my 'expertise' as it were is in msian dishes (or, the msian variety). SEA is not a monolith and i won't pretend to know every single SEA dish out there, so the dishes i describe in this post won't be reflective of the true breadth of SEA cuisine !! ok disclaimer over tq for listening to my ted talk 😌😌😌

for breakfast foods i am legally obligated to make her try nasi lemak at least once bcos c'mon now. if i don't plug nasi lemak to foreigners i feel like the govt will kick my door down and revoke my citizenship. i usually take mine with fried chicken BUT i feel like arle would like paru (lung) ?? don't ask me why i am operating simply on vibes LOL but aside from that i think she'd be an absolute fiend for kaya on toast which honestly ??? so sexy of her, kaya is so fucking good

main dishes are a little difficult, admittedly, because a lot of them do have a generous amount of spice if i'm comparing it to fontaninan/european standards. i feel like arle has okay-ish spice tolerance, so i think arle could sit down and enjoy a toned-down rendang or an asam pedas that's more asam (sour) than pedas (spicy). anything higher than that like a straight up sambal might destroy her tastebuds LOL unless it's the kind of sambal that's got a sweeter aftertaste, though EYE personally don't like that kind of sambal LMAO as for noodle dishes, can't go wrong with a good ol' laksa or bakso. these are generally not the most spicy (and you can choose the spice level for bakso) as far as i've encountered them, so it's another win for arle !! also char kuey teow !!!! i prefer the dry version over the wet version, but both are FIRE and so fucking good. it's also not the spiciest, like you can get kuey teow that is kinda mild, so arle would be able to handle it 👍👍👍

ok now that we've got main dishes aside it's time to get really into it and go right to the sweet stuff and BOY do we have sweet stuff... i dunno why but i feel like arle would most enjoy semperit ?? maybe because i think it's very similar in taste to what you can find in fontaine. there's also bahulu, which is functionally the same as a sponge cake, just a lot smaller, like cookie sized. moving on from the kuih though we got the heavy sugar hitters like ais batu campur and cendol. i don't think arle would actively seek either of these out, but she will indulge in them if EYE drag her ass out to the night market to get some 😌😌😌 also i would 100% get her to try bandung and honestly i feel like she might like it !! but in moderation, because god that thing is sweet asf 💀💀💀

ok i think i've written everything i got for now so i can cease my rambling sdhlsjdhlsjhd in conclusion i feel like arle would gravitate more to the sweet foods than the spicy foods, but she can sit down and appreciate the spicy stuff once in a while !! in any case, thank u for the ask anonnie !! i think i got a little carried away but this was fun :))

nasi lemak - rice cooked in coconut milk and usually served with deep fried peanuts and anchovies, sambal, fried or boiled egg, and sliced cucumbers. can also be eaten with fried chicken or rendang.

paru - fried beef lung. personally not a fan, but it's usually eaten as a side dish to accompany nasi lemak.

kaya - a spread kind of like jam made from coconut milk, eggs, sugar and pandan leaves.

rendang - slow cooked and braised meat in coconut milk, seasoned with a metric fuckton of herbs and spices. my personal favourite is beef rendang, though it comes in chicken and lamb variations also.

asam pedas - a stew dish that involves fish cooked in with tamarind (asam) juice and assorted spices. usually will also have okra/lady's finger and/or eggplants added in as vegetables.

sambal - spicy chili paste, though some variations make it a little sweeter. sambal has a bunch of different versions, but my personal favorite is sambal belacan, which is sambal made with fermented shrimp paste (it's so fuckign good................ belacan my beloved)

laksa - sour-spicy noodle dish served in broth that contains coconut milk and/or tamarind, with chicken or prawn as toppings.

char kuey teow - stir fried rice noodles, usually prepared with lard but pork-free variations also exist. fried with cockles and prawns, but sometimes also with chicken or beef.

bakso - beef broth noodle soup with meatballs but SEAsian style 😎😎😎

semperit - a kind of crumbly custard cookie

bahulu - small cookie-sized sponge cakes

ais batu campur - shaved ice with red beans, syrup, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cendol, corn and agar-agar cubes. you can also add other stuff but iirc this is the typical combo. colloquially known as ABC.

cendol - shaved ice with green pandan-flavored jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar.

bandung - rose syrup mixed with evaporated milk and/or condensed milk

[ithseem]

Can The Court of Darkness Cast Handle Spice? Headcanons (and Canon)

warnings: none unless you're allergic to opinions and short lists

Guy

Yes. Could use green chilies as salt if he wanted

Lynt

No 💀

Fenn

Yes. Let's just say the food isn't the only spicy stuff you'd find in Luxure

Toa

No 💀☠️☠️

Roy

The most spice he could handle would be Flamin' Hot Cheetos

Rio

Yes. Might even make South Asians/Hispanics/Africans/Southeast Asians/East Asians question how his stomach lining didn't dissolve

Lance

Yes. Irian Cuisine has to be spicy

Dia

Yes, but about half as spicy as Indian food

Sherry

Not really

Violet

Yes

Aquia

Yes. Might need a glass of milk if he eats something too spicy

Tino

Yes, but one pinch of chili flakes too many and he'd be in tears

Grayson

Same as Tino

Knight

No 💀☠️☠️

Jasper

Uses ghost pepper chili flakes as salt

Lou

The most he could handle is the spiciness of takis

[prettyboykatsuki]

hey fang! what are ur thoughts on the us? thinking of moving to nyc or sumn from sydney but im idk any americans and i’m south-asian and i wanna how the vibes are over there

in general this is hard for me to answer because the united states is so incredibly culturally diverse. like. dkhfhakjsf. the east coast is so so vastly different from the west coast which is so so vastly different from like my part of the midwest. like truly this is impossible to answer but ill say for the most part i am more fond of the us then i am critical of it. i am very thankful that i grew up as a diaspora kid.

if not for the constant thread of danger i would probably like it more hjshdjfsdj. i think the level of exposure you gain to different cultures and cuisines living in any major city is a really unique and good part of america that im deepy fond of. like the diversity and amount of places you can go rules and the sense of genuine individualism you are allowed to have is liberatin

depending on what kind of south asian u are though u will find a lot of community in diff parts which is cool. and also mexican food. like if you come for nothing else lol

ive never lived outside of the states but i have traveled to other countries and im always happy to come back home if that gauges anything. idk if i recommend living here permanently but it is worth the experience to live here for a bit i think

[imomisoplays]

Rasta Pasta

Hello, tombler!

We are still in the mood for Jamaican food as Vienna scraped up some leftover jerk chicken seasoning to make this fusion dish: rasta pasta. Rasta pasta is a pasta dish made with traditional Jamaican ingredients and creamy sauce, inspired by original Italian recipe but with Caribbean seasonings.

"Rasta" refers to Rastafari (or Rastafarianism), a religious and social movement that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. Most Rastas follows the dietary laws outlined in the Book of Leviticus and avoid eating pork or crustaceans, while other Rastas adhere to vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Rasta pasta is usually served as a vegetarian dish, but many non-Rastafarian cooks add a protein to round out the meal. Today, Vienna follows a vegan rasta pasta recipe made by @robinksimblr (click here to download the recipe).

Vienna is challenging her inner tiktok-trad-wife spirit by making the pasta from scratch.

With the leftover jerk seasoning already pre-made for her Jamaican jerk chicken earlier, this part is rather simple -- just mix everything! The original recipe of rasta pasta uses coconut milk for the creaminess, but if your died allows you to consume dairy, or if you (as in, me) don't particularly enjoy the taste of coconut milk, heavy cream can be used as an alternative. *Disclaimer: Not loving the taste of coconut milk as an Indonesian is a disgrace since many variants of our dishes and desserts incorporate coconut milk, so Indonesian/South-east Asians please don't come at me 🥹

And voilà! Rasta pasta is ready!

Looking at the picture above, it’s still mind-blowing for me of how monochromatic Vienna and her kitchen looks. It’s a new but not unwelcomed experience for me. And about non-traditional fusion pasta dishes; I have never tried rasta pasta before, but from the ingredients, I feel like I'd like it? I've tried another fusion pasta dish gochujang rosé pasta -- which combines the Korean fermented red chili paste called gochujang with heavy cream, and it was amazing. In my book, I don't think any fusion pasta dish that uses heavy cream would ever go wrong.

Anyway, that's it for today. So far, this recipe is the last for the Jamaican cuisine. I’ll see you next time with another dish from another country! 'Til then, dag dag!

P.S. History of rastafarianism, also history and recipe of rasta pasta is taken from this article, this article and this Wikipedia page.

Imomiso’s note: This post is originally posted on the now deleted blog.

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A bowl full of whole and ground spices in various shades of red, orange, and green. End ID]

カレー粉 / Kare ko (Japanese curry powder)

Kare ko is a spice blend that spread to Japan in the late Meiji era as a result of British imperialism. The blend (like curry powder in general) originates from a British approximation of a range of South Asian spice profiles. Domestic manufacture and sale of kare ko began in 1905 with Hachi; S&B, who began production in 1923, currently hold the major market share.

Kare ko is adapted to Japanese tastes, and is usually not very spicy. It is dominated by coriander, turmeric, and cumin, but also contains spices such as fenugreek, cardamom, clove, and star anise, as well as dried herbs including sage and dill. Popular comfort dish kare raisu ("curry rice," a pairing of rice and a curried stew featuring carrots and potatoes), uses kare ko as its primary source of flavor; kare ko is also used to make curry ramen and curry udon.

The benefit of making this spice blend at home is in its freshness and its customizability—play around with the proportions of different spices until you get something you like!

Recipe under the cut.

Patreon | Tip jar

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp (3.5g) coriander seeds

1 tsp (2.6g) turmeric

1 tsp (2.5g) cumin seeds

5-6 pods (1/2 tsp; 1g) green cardamom

1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg, or 1/2 tsp pre-ground (.6g)

1/2 tsp (2g) fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp (.7g) ground ginger

1/2 tsp (1.3g) ground garlic

1/2 tsp (1.5g) yellow mustard seeds

1/2 tsp (1g) fennel seeds

1 cm piece (1/4 tsp; .7g) cassia cinnamon

1/2 tsp (1.3g) black pepper

1/2 tsp (1.2g) paprika

1/2 tsp (1.2g) cayenne pepper (optional)

4-5 (1/4 tsp; .5g) whole cloves

2-3 (1/4 tsp; .5g) allspice berries

2 Mediterranean bay leaves (laurel)

1 star anise pod (2g)

1 tsp chen pi (dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel) (1.2g)

1/4 tsp (.2g) dried thyme

1/4 tsp (.2g) dried sage

1/4 tsp (.2g) dried dill

Pinch MSG (optional)

Pinch asafoetida (hing; optional)

Chen pi is commonly used in Chinese and Japanese cooking and can be purchased at an East Asian grocery store.

Though Japanese curry powder is ultimately drawing from South Asian cuisine, recipes for it tend to call for Mediterranean bay leaves rather than Indian bay leaves (tej patta; really a type of cinnamon leaf).

Instructions:

1. In a dry skillet on medium, toast large whole spices (cinnamon, star anise, green cardamom, cloves, allspice) for a few minutes until fragrant and set aside. Repeat with smaller seeds (coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, and fennel) and bay leaf. Set aside and allow to cool.

2. Remove skillet from heat. Toast ground spices and dried herbs, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from skillet.

3. Grind all spices and herbs in a spice mill or mortar and pestle and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

[leandra-kinard]

Out of curiosity, do you regularly use soy sauce as seasoning?

I'm German, and as you may have guessed, soy sauce is not a traditional element in German cuisine, lol. However, it has become quite common here - as in many Western cuisines. I don't just use it when I make something Asian/Asian inspired, but often also as seasoning for traditional German dishes (beef goulash for example), or other Western/international cuisine.

Lately, I've been making fried eggs for breakfast with a soy + teriyaki sauce that are just utterly amazing that way.

So you could say, I use soy sauce (and I have a few different types these days) several times a week on average. What about you guys?

And if you want, share your fave recipes and combinations in the comments, tags or reblogs!

[marybeatriceofmodena]

I came across your anti-Grishaverse posts and I like to add some of own analyses about the worldbuilding (if you're willing to go through the series again after 2021, ofc). My knowledge on Russian history and folklore is very surface level but even then I still was absolutely baffled at how bad the worldbuilding is. Especially with "Grisha" which is literally Russian for Greg???? Lol, let's just call in the Pasha Army too because why not. I've already relentlessly made fun of the name "Grishaverse" being a multiverse of Gregs so here are my favorites: Gregor-Man: Into the Greg-verse. Gregory-thing Gregory-where All At Greg, Doctor Greg and the Multiverse of Greg-ness. And it's even worse with the show when they clumsily tried to explore racism with a more diverse cast of people of Asian descent which would've been an incredible story considering Russia's rich history with the Mongols and the Turks but then they had to add in the term "rice-eater". When like, Russian cuisine includes rice. Like salmon coulibiac. So it just makes no sense at all, it's kinda the equivalent of calling an American "burger-eater". And the absence of patronymic names just because the author thought it sounded better without them (Alina Starkov is grammatically incorrect and it drove me insane, it literally takes 5 minutes to look up how to do it). I think it's great how the author wanted to do a fantasy story with some vaguely Slavic traditions but the result reminds me of Raya and the Last Dragon from Disney which, as a South East Asian person, I really dislike because it literally does the same thing of cherry picking stuff from SEAsian countries and using words from real languages that don't make sense at all, even if it's a fantasy story (I really hate the "dep la" line from the movie). It's like the author doesn't really care about the nuances of Russian society or Slavic societies in general and really only cared about the aesthetics of it (which the show didn't even do right, what the fuck are those costumes, I hate fantasy costumes that look like they were on a haute couture fashion line). Which could lead into some really awful pitfalls bordering on stereotyping and exoticization. I think it's great how she wanted to do a fantasy story with some vaguely Slavic traditions since they're pretty underappreciated but the result reminds me of Raya and the Last Dragon from Disney which, as a South East Asian person, I really dislike because it literally does the same thing of cherry picking stuff from SEAsian countries and using words from real languages that don't make sense at all (I really hate the "dep la" line from the movie). I'm just tired of authors cherry picking stuff from other cultures for the aesthetics and don't bother to really delve into said cultures and build an interesting story inspired by their folklore or history. Not to mention, it feels like the lack of research shows a reluctance to genuinely learn and fall in love with Slavic cultures, like Westerners still think they're backwards and barbaric. I certainly felt the same way with Raya.

So, I'll start with the disclaimer that I haven't seen Raya as of now so I can't really speak for it, BUT I think the one nuance I would bring to this is that I do think it's fine to use artistic licence when you're taking inspiration for a certain culture, WITH THE VERY IMPORTANT CAVEAT that you need to understand what you're taking inspiration from in the first place.

Take me, for instance. My original fiction takes inspiration (among other things) of Breton tales and mythology, since it's the region where it's believed Nimue trapped Merlin, and there is a personnifcation of Death figure that is a bit of a nod to the Ankou (who in Breton mythology is considered to be Death's henchman), a plot point that will be a callback to the Midnight Washerwomen, and so on and so forth, but none of these are a 1:1 comparison with the Ankou and the Midnight Washerwomen, simply because... well, I felt like doing something different. But you know, I acknowledge it's a nod, I'm not going to say "Lord Death in my story is like the Ankou", because that simply wouldn't be true nor accurate.

All that to say, "inspiration" doesn't save you from having to do research, and learning "why" certain things tick a certain way. Orthodoxy tends to be very oriented towards mysticism and spirituality, and we kind of get that with the cult of the Saints in the Grishaverse, but if you stop and think about religion for more than 5 minutes in that setting, it falls apart. You could get away with saying naming conventions are different in your story compared to Russian conventions (if only for the sake of being gender-neutral and more inclusive), but it becomes a problem when there are several other mistakes that native speakers can easily point out.

And then, of course, you have to take into account that LB's forte is not writing fantasy that involves politics, sociology, wars, and so on. If we're talking about something that's more "in isolation" like the SoC duology, you can get away with that. Seriously, 19th Russia was a mess - it produced absolutely amazing art that endures to this day and still inspires a lot of people (not that we see any hint of that lmao), but it was also a pretty shitty place to live if you were a peasant or a serf. The problem is, the PoV characters we have for both the Grisha trilogy and the KoS duology are essentially 21st century characters, who apply 21st century logic and solutions to a 19th century setting, and instead of that causing a certain set of consequences, it works out for them when it really shouldn't, all the while they're ignoring HUGE PROBLEMS that are right there.

If you're going to write high fantasy with big stakes, I cannot recommend enough reading and learning about history. You're writing about a female freedom fighter in an oppressive regime? Read about real life folk heroines - Boudica, the Trung sisters, Joan of Arc, Emilia Plater, Rani Lakshmibai. You're writing about a rags (or close enough) to ruler protagonist? Read about Catherine I of Russia, Wei Zifu, Basil I, Fredegund, Theodora, Honwu Emperor. What made them tick? How did they get all the way to the top? Was it charm? Guile? Brute force? Knowledge? Sheer luck? Divine intervention (don't look at me like that, go ask Joan)? How did royal courts work? What were the conflicts at the time? Why were there conflicts at the time?

"But Irina, why should I do that research? It's all magic and dragons and monsters!"

Unless we're talking about a post-apocalyptic or primitive society, you're still going to have a certain level of societal organization. How is magic viewed in your fantasy world? Is it allowed? Glorified? Despised? Where does it come from? What's your inspiration? How does this inspiration view magic? What are you going to do differently and why? Are your dragons friendly or not? Are they gods? Pets? Prey? Are we talking about dragons in Persian mythology where they represent vices? If you're going to make them benevolent, why? Are they Chinese dragons, where they're considered benevolent and wise (on that note, that's why China had a more negative reaction to Mushu when Disney's animated version of Mulan came out)? If they're just going to be mindless beasts who just think about violence, why? Why not even pick another monster if you're going to make them the big bad when they're anything but? And the list goes on.

[nebulouscoffee]

Sorry to correct you but. Samosa is an indian dish not Kenyan

Hello anon! LOL okay I never expected to get into Samosa Discourse on my Star Trek blog but I happen to love food and history and the history of food so here we go😂

You are correct that samosas are not native to Kenya- and yes, India is by far the country most associated with samosas in the popular imagination (for good reason, samosas are pretty much omnipresent throughout India!) But while samosas are not originally from Kenya, that doesn't mean (imo at least) that they cannot be counted as part of Kenyan cuisine. (Which I didn't even necessarily do in that post, but I understand your position so I'll elaborate on those terms!)

Kenya is a multi-ethic country made up of several African peoples and migrant communities, including Kenyan Asians. Now, the history of South Asians living in/trading with East Africa goes back centuries, but there was also this huge (and deeply colonial) boom in the Asian population during the late 1800s-early 1900s when the British sent tens of thousands of indentured Indian labourers to Kenya to build the Uganda railway. (There is a LOT more history I could get into re the British East Africa Protectorate and the complicated social dynamics between African & Asian communities at the time, but that's not really relevant to samosas so I'll spare you.)

Anyway, modern day Kenya still has a considerable South Asian population, and as such (again not getting into the more complicated social dynamics here), Kenyan cuisine has a lot of Indian (and Arab) influences. But beyond that- Swahili culture(s) and cuisine(s) evolved over centuries of interaction between the various (predominantly Bantu) peoples of East Africa and traders from West, Central & South Asia (who brought in- among other things- their own spices), so cultural intermingling has always been a staple of the East African coast (which is geographically SO close to Asia!) If you were to walk around some of the bigger, more Asian diaspora-heavy cities of Kenya, like Mombasa or Nairobi, you'd find plenty of chicken/fish-based coconut curries & stews that strongly resemble Indian ones- as well as rice-based dishes like pilau & biriyani, rotis, chapatis, bhajias (called 'bajjis' in certain parts of India), kheemas, kebabs- and yes, samosas. Or sambusas, as they're often called in Kenya.

And what's more- the samosa (originally 'samsa' iirc) likely originated in Central Asia in the first place! It still goes by other names in West Asia and North Africa too; as do several other dishes-in-common. In fact, kuku paka (a dish I mentioned in the post that prompted this ask) is a Kenyan chicken curry with distinct Indian & Arabic influences. So if samosas can qualify as Indian cuisine (which, they undoubtedly do), imo they can qualify as a part of Kenyan cuisine too! Anyway I'm truly sorry I let this ask get SO far away from me lmao, I guess I've always felt a bit alienated by this growing tendency in Asian & African communities to sort of rigidly and unquestioningly (even proudly) uphold colonial divides when our cultures are actually so sprawling and ancient? Like sure, we are not monoliths, and it is important that people learn that- but also, so many political borders across both continents didn't even exist as they are today even a hundred years ago. It's so cool how much there is in common! Food, like so many other aspects of culture, is often migratory and full of varied influences, and that's just so deeply human and beautiful and fascinating to me

[lcyann]

MY TRAVEL LIST

Italy- is a south-central European country, whose boot-shaped borders extend into the Mediterranean Sea. The country’s historical cities, world-renowned cuisine and geographic beauty make it a popular destination for more than 40 million tourists each year. 

Switzerland-is a federal republic made up of 26 cantons and an administrative capital in Bern. Most of its citizens live in towns and cities, the most populous of which is Zurich– the most cosmopolitan of the country’s cities. The country prides itself on its diversity, and is home to regions with distinct cultural identities. German, French, Italian and Romansh languages all enjoy national status.

New Zealand-saw impressive growth and transformation in the decades following independence. The export market, abounding with dairy, sheep, beef, poultry, fruit, vegetables and wine, was opened beyond the U.K., and manufacturing and tourism were expanded. Per capita income remains high and education expenditures as a percent of gross domestic product are some of the highest in the world.

Japan-one of the world’s most literate and technically advanced nations, is an East Asian archipelago country made up of four primary islands and more than 6,800 others. While most of Japan is covered by mountains and heavily wooded areas, the country’s people lead a distinctly urban lifestyle. Long culturally influenced by its neighbors, today the country blends its ancient traditions with aspects of Western life.

Canada-takes up about two-fifths of the North American continent, making it the second-largest country in the world after Russia. The country is sparsely populated, with most of its residents living within 125 miles of its border with the United States. Canada’s expansive wilderness to the north plays a large role in Canadian identity, as does the country’s reputation of welcoming immigrants.

THAT'S ALL I LISTED BECAUSE IM NOT SURE ABOUT THE OTHER COUNTY, MAYBE SOON WHEN I'M OLD ENOUGH, I CAN TRAVEL THE WHOLE WORLD WITH MY HONEYBUNCH<3

[percabeth4life]

What are your thoughts on south east asian cuisine

Well, I haven't eaten it often, there's not a lot of South East Asian restaurants near me. So I've only had like- Thai a few times. Can't remember if I've had anything else, if so it wasn't recent at all.

But in general? It's food, I like food, food is good.