Megan McArdle on the frontiers of food

[Bloomberg View]( A daily digest of opinions and analysis It was an eater's year: Megan McArdle reported back about some mystifying American fare in northern France, the stunning Italian cuisine in Italy (and New York), and the questionable provenance of au courant "authentic" food — no matter how delicious it may be. But no, she won't be sampling the world's dark chocolates, and she makes no apology for drawing the line. How Is the American Food in France? "In the middle of northern France, we had found our way to an American-themed bar. … I confess, I had a certain curiosity as to how a provincial French restaurateur would [interpret my native cuisine](. The answer, in case you’re wondering, is 'oddly.' " Why Is Italian Fare So Amazing? "As my colleague Tyler Cowen has noted in his marvelous book 'An Economist Gets Lunch,' in places that industrialized early, mass commercial canning, and television, preceded the technological and logistical innovations that made it easy for us to get decent produce year-round. ... Italy came to these things late, and at a time when global food supply chains were improving. So Italians held onto a food culture that prized [care and taste]( over efficiency and ability to withstand a harsh shipping process." 'Authentic' Food Isn't What You Think It Is "[Authenticity is an illusion](, and a highly overrated one. Most of the foods we think of as 'authentic' are of relatively recent vintage — since capsaicin-containing hot peppers are native to the Americas, any spicy cuisine like Szechuan or Thai is by definition a Johnny-come-lately invention. … What diners are really seeking is variety; hand-processed food will not be as consistent as the industrially processed versions, and those small variations reward us with a new experience with each bite." Why Are Dark-Chocolate Lovers So Full of Themselves? "Take it from this foodie: [There's no accounting for taste](. We get into real trouble when folks confuse their own personal taste, and their culturally conditioned habits, with metaphysical truth. Woe to anyone who occasionally or usually values anything different — convenience, say, or the warm comfort of long familiarity. The reverse snobs' response is no more healthy than their taste in things deep fried and slathered with Cheez Whiz." Bloomberg L.P. ● 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Web]( ● [Facebook]( ● [Twitter]( [Feedback]( ● [Unsubscribe](