Karan Gokani on the performance of authenticity

Authenticity is one of those words that now gets thrown around so often that it has started to mean very little. It gives the speaker an air of authority, especially when backed by loose claims to personal heritage, and suggests they are protecting something irreplacable. In reality, it is usually doing far less useful work than people imagine.

I understand why the word matters to people. Food carries memory, migration, class, geography, religion, and family history. A dish can remind you of your grandmother, your hometown or a loss. As an immigrant myself, I get why people feel protective of that. But today, authenticity feels less of a thoughtful conversation and more like a performance.