Chinese New Year and the search for 'food identity'

With Chinese New Year coming up, I've been thinking about all the yummy Chinese food I'd be asking my mum for back home. This had me thinking about what we class as 'Chinese' food; or in fact, any nationality's food. It's a big part of their cultural identity, and it seems they're happy to maintain it as long as it's got a good image. Why shouldn't they? Wonton soup is an example of (for me anyway) an amazing invention...Yum... but I digress.

It seems in Britain that our culture lacks a 'food identity' beyond fish and chips and tea.  It's a shame, because there are some great culinary combinations that British chefs have put forward and really excelled at creating (see the copious amount of foody programmes on TV, and some of the best (recognised) restaurants in the world are arguably are at home in Britain).

However, many of these dishes might use ingredients not native to England. Say aniseed for example.  Or cinnamon (one of my favourite spices!). Or even pak choi (bok choy). Does that mean a dish that uses these can't be British? Or if a dish in India uses English apples - does that make it 'un-Indian'? Of course not - from the days of the empire, 'chicken tikka' is now recognised as an British invention (according to QI at any rate!), combining a readily available British meat and the spices of the Far East.

But safe to say if a dish has 'grown up' in a country, it is believed to belong to that country - a bit like people's identities. The difference is that someone who grows up in one country may feel more connected to another country by blood or culture - even if they've never lived there. But on the whole, your 'home' is where you grew up, even if you moved country later on and adopted a different culture. I think this is true of food and 'food identity', too.  Aside, everyone has a food they grew up with which they call their 'home food'!

So this Chinese New Year, I think I'll pop down the road and get myself some noodles. After all, it's a refreshing taste of our culture's take on a long-established 'exotic' culture; a blend of British and Chinese - nothing could better suit someone of the same mix of heritage.