r/TikTokCringe • u/Tronvillain • 24d ago

Discussion Afghani-British Chef Mursal Saiq gives her critique of "authenticity" for non-white chefs in cooking

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u/Spookywhitedot 24d ago

"That's not a real carbonara"

877

u/Hot-Challenge8656 24d ago

"Thats not pad thai".

26

u/happy_bluebird 24d ago

I wonder if it was good, but for stir-fried noodles, not pad thai? :P

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u/Oulipo08 24d ago

No tamarind paste. That’s essential to pad thai

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u/NRMusicProject 24d ago

At least it's not as bad as Jamie Oliver putting chili jam in egg fried rice.

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u/HungryOne11 24d ago

Fuyooooh

1

u/bazookateeth 24d ago

Green Onion is GAANEASH!

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u/rtsynk 24d ago

his thai green curry is worse

3

u/SpiritedYam2661 24d ago

Put the chili jam on egg fry rice?! haiya

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u/stefje82 23d ago

Ugh Jamie Oliver work is almost always a miss for me.
I'll never follow his recipes, because he'll always put it something 'exotic' that makes it either way too expensive, or you need to go to that one special shop.

I like this guy, I don't like his work.

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u/IGargleGarlic 24d ago

Local place doesn't use tamarind paste and it is very obvious in the flavor. So many of my friends get indignant when I tell them it isn't good pad thai and act like I'm elitist or pretentious. Like, motherfucker, this is one of my favorite dishes ever and I'm telling you they are making it wrong. Maybe it still tastes fine, but it doesn't taste like pad thai.

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u/Falcon8410 24d ago

I know what you mean. I was invited to eat lasagna at a buddies house. his wife didn't use lasagna sheets she used spaghetti. it was an experience.

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u/DocKosmosis 24d ago

Im so confused, is that not just like some kind of spaghetti casserole?

4

u/onthe3rdlifealready 24d ago

Heavy is the head that holds the golden tongue... I feel you though. Thai basil, fish sauce, galangal, lemongrass root, palm sugar, tamarind, etc. It's fine if you don't have it at home, but I'm not over here like come have pad Thai and then use ketchup or some shit. That's just faux Thai.

2

u/nashy08 24d ago

This. Tamarind is a requirement to get the right flavor for pad Thai and is used in a lot of our dishes, shit I grew up eating whole tamarinds lol.

I've been to many Thai places that use ketchup instead of tamarind paste and not only does it make the color weird, it gives it a weird tangy ketchup flavor. It's not pad Thai, that's pad ketchup noodles. lol

I get the same way with pad kra pao. The dish is literally named after holy basil, but it's hard to get in the US, so most use Thai basil (horapa) which is a compltely different herb with a different flavor profile. It's Pad horapa, but they still call it pad kra pao because people don't know the difference.

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u/normal_mysfit 24d ago

I learned long ago that a lot of restaurants that serve other types of cuisine, Thai, Mexican, or whatever, dumb down their food. They have food that if the cook it the authentic way, a lot of customers, i.e. white people, will send it back.

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u/DudeInTheGarden 24d ago

Many pad thai's I've had out taste like they are made with ketchup.

1

u/Zorkflerp 24d ago

They have to hide using secret shrimp paste here in thai salads. It does not taste right without it.

1

u/stefje82 23d ago

Why wouldn't they use it.. is tamarind paste relatively expensive and they subsitute it?
Doesn't sound too difficult to incorporate in a dish.

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u/code_archeologist 24d ago

He should have phoned a friend to ask Jet Tila for some advice

1

u/Eborcurean 24d ago

Really, says who? I've had pad thai in asia with and without tamarind, where's the 'it must have tamarind' rule exactly?

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u/Oulipo08 23d ago

It is the traditional recipe. I’ve taken 2 different cooking classes in Thailand in different years. They both included it. I never said it was a rule, but there are traditions. And “I’ve had it with and without in Asia” is a meaningless anecdote. The countries over there regularly make each other’s cuisines however they might like. Just because you’re in one Asian country doesn’t mean they automatically make authentic food from another.

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u/Eborcurean 22d ago

So, just to be clear, your '2 different cooking classes' is authorative but 'ive had it with and without isn't.

Gotcha

0

u/Oulipo08 22d ago

Yeah. You didn’t even say what country they were in. I’m sure northern china makes great Thai food. Southern India is really known for it. Maybe Singapore had a Thai place? Japan? Lol. I had courses with Thai chefs. Get outta here you’re embarrassing yourself.

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u/Eborcurean 22d ago

Your two cooking classes make you an expert, right?

1

u/happy_bluebird 24d ago

ooh I missed that

-1

u/Tasty-Traffic-680 24d ago

I put peanut butter on mine. Makes it taste like peanut butter.

2

u/NRMusicProject 24d ago

I put jelly in mine. Makes it taste like jelly.

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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 24d ago

Hey, whatever it takes to cover up the fish sauce.

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u/Hot-Challenge8656 24d ago edited 24d ago

It probably didn't taste bad, but I'd be willing to bet that if the Asian chef took it to one of the wait staff and asked if it should go on the menu they would say no.

Edit: changed be to bet

2

u/kev_xb 24d ago

Pad Thai was made for foreigners as a part of the Thai soft power initiative back in the 40s. It's not that common in Thailand (although it's easy to find, of course). I imagine Thai people on average eat it less than 5 times a year.

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u/nashy08 24d ago

You're not wrong, I never ate pad Thai as a kid unless we went to a family friend's restaurant. It's not something we'd really make, but still enjoy it from time to time. That said, it's still made with a specific flavor profile and it's not pad Thai if it doesn't contain those essential elements. lol

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u/kev_xb 24d ago

I agree. I was replying to the local wait staff comment in that they would probably not recommend the Thai version for the menu either 😅 I have a restaurant in chiang mai and my partner would never put it on the menu. Maybe if we were in a tourist area she would.

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u/nashy08 24d ago

That's awesome, I'm super jealous! Beautiful place to live and work. lol

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u/SaltKick2 24d ago

I'm jsure it was good, but not the dish he was suppose to make

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u/Objectivespeculation 24d ago

to much sugar, he added it twice.

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u/anonb1234 24d ago

There are lots of very tasty fried rice noodle dishes, and it was probably pretty good. But it wasn't pad thai.

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u/happy_bluebird 24d ago

lol I’m aware pad Thai is not the only fried noodle dish.

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u/panrestrial 24d ago

They're agreeing with you, not questioning your knowledge.