Lavanya Ramanathan's Washington Post Article: Why Everyone Should Stop Immigrant Food Ethnic?

In Lavanya Ramanathan’s Washington Post article published in 2015 titled “Why everyone should stop calling immigrant food ‘ethnic’”, she discusses about people’s preconceptions on the type of food that should be labelled ethnic. Ashlie Stevens also touched on a similar topic in her Guardian article published in 2015 titled “Stop thinking and just eat: when ‘food adventuring’ trivializes culture”. She talks about how people assume that just by eating food from a certain culture, they are able relate to the culture as a whole. Both authors acknowledge the importance of appreciating authentic cuisines, but takes different approaches to convince the audience. Both authors establish credibility by using a wide range of substantiated evidences. While,

Ramanathan develops her stand by stating the stereotypes people have on ethnic food and how cheap it should be. She quotes university professor Krishnendu Ray and make references to his book, which states that people would “refuse to pay more than $30 for what they perceive as ethnic food”. Ray is a credible source as he is a professor who received various awards for his research. He most likely has done his research thoroughly before making his claims. She also cites chef Chris Shepherd, who has incorporated different cuisines into American food, to suit the tastes of the population. This suggests that the trend is moving towards what people want to see from the food rather than authentic cultural food. Similarly, Stevens mentions Jennifer Jordan, an associate professor who states that food has been a link that creates memories. This supports Stevens’s claim of people having their personal opinion on authentic food. She makes a clear stand stating how crucial it is to understand the culinary diversity and heritage of the food by using statements from Sarah Cappeliez, a PhD candidate (Para. 15) and Paul Qui, a well-known chef (Para. 19). The use of valid evidences by both, made their articles more persuasive and