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In general, I talk shit about stuff like this because Americans and Europeans seem to feel like they’re allowed to say ‘this stuff is weird’ about other people’s food but they get really upset when you say their ‘normal’ stuff is super weird. One time there was a whole article about how a breakfast I eat reminded them of ‘dead fish eyes’ (soft boiled eggs)

50g of sugar for breakfast IS super weird!

But also I feel sorry for people who think *any* food is weird.

I think everything is weird and wonderful. I might not always like it. Especially donuts. But I get that it can be wonderful to other people.

One time I had dessert from Milk Bar and I wanted to cry because it was so sweet. I could not believe I now lived somewhere where dessert is… overwhelmingly sweet.

I still struggle with this very regularly

Food media in English is extremely Anglo-centric.

It feels as if only some people’s opinions matter.

In my world, people don’t just like, they obsess about durians. It’s not our fault you’re not able to handle greatness. (Or you don’t get great durians)

But people like us don’t often get to write the trendsetting pieces like the ones mentioned here:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/durian-asian-fruits-orientalism-debate/

If you make your money in this craft, showing off how poorly developed your tastebuds are must be embarrassing.

Linked in the post: Soon-Tzu’s tweet about what it would be like if Southeast Asians wrote about American food the way American food media write about us.

“Writing about US food the way the NYT covers Asian fruit: In a nation torn by racial conflict, one unlikely food unites. To those accustomed to chopsticks, the greasy parcel known as a 'burger', a sort of split bao, is crude and messy. Yet it encapsulates a nation's violent past.”