Right now I am realizing that the interview process has taught me the most so far. Doing the research before I do interviews to get a better understanding of my topic or learn more about the person I am interviewing provide a good baseline understanding that I can make a hypothesis out of. So the research is actually quite essential to the learning I get from interviewing. But interviewing allows me to hear about first hand experience and opinions from people who really know what they’re talking about. Having that “primary source” is a lot different than just reading books and articles. For some of the more noteworthy chefs I’ve spoken with, Monisha Bharadwaj and Suvir Saran, doing research on them before has allowed me to ask better and more personalized questions that have greatly improved the data I’ve gotten so far. The research and interview process are cyclical and linked. One really can’t be done well without the other is what I’ve learned so far.

Research requires discipline and organization which are both things I am still working on which makes them harder for me to do. Organizing and categorizing the information have been one of my biggest struggles so far. Since my topic is quite broad it is hard to pick out what the most important part is all the time. So I’ve had to a categorization process which allows me to stay organized and understand easily. One part in the process I find essential is not only relying on the Zoom recording for a record of my interview but notes that I take during the meetings as well. Taking notes during the interviews allows me to mark what I think is most important and relevant which is much harder to do via Zoom recording. The note taking process allows me to highlight places where I think the interviewee is particularly passionate about something that may not come acrosss on screen. Taking notes also allows me to pull out parts that connect and help to answer my essential question.

So far I’ve learned that authenticity is subjective, which a hypothesized before thanks to research, and that each person has a different view of what makes something authentic. There are definitley themes that are mentioned throughout the majority of the interviews like, the importance of creating dishes with a cultrual context in mind, intent, and relationship to the food you’re cooking. I haven’t quite answered my second essential question, what happens to cuisine once it reaches America? But through the books I’m reading The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, Everyone Eats and various other readings I am feeling quite positive that I’ll be able to get a solid answer.