food politics

• Nouvelle cuisine is an approach to cooking that focuses on fewer higher-quality ingredients, and less complex recipes.
  • In my opinion, it's just snobbery. [1] [2] It also takes French cooking in the wrong direction — from bland cuisine [3] [4] [5] to even blander.
  • It doesn't help that white people in general are known for their bland food. [1] [2] [3] [4]
  • New American cuisine derives from nouvelle cuisine, and has similar problems. [2]
• Europeans were literally the reason that Afro-Euroasians gained access to chili peppers — before the Columbian Exchange, they were confined to Central and South America. Yet, paradoxically, European cuisine gained a reputation for incorporating chili peppers less than other regional cuisines. Why? This makes no sense.
  • TODO: Figure out why.
  • Random suggestions I've heard made about why some folks took up chili peppers and others didn't: Chili peppers may have some anti-microbial properties. [2]
  • More rigorous explanations [1] [2]