You Are Culturally Appropriating Food If You Do THIS, Roy Choi Claims (Exclusive)

Lifestyle By TooFab Staff |
TooFab

He also reveals the reason weddings don't have food you actually want to eat, like tacos or Chinese.

Making foreign food is cultural appropriation ... if it's crap.

Roy Choi does not fear being canceled for making the likes of tacos or pizza — because his are the bomb. According to the celeb chef, international cuisine is meant to be shared and enjoyed by all, unless you claim to be an expert, when you ain't.

"As long as the food's delicious it's all good," the 51-year-old declared when quizzed on the subject while out and about in LA last week.

He agreed it was similar to the argument surrounding comedy: If it's funny to the people it's about, it doesn't matter.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not as edgy as comedy but yeah, it's pretty much on that same wavelength," he concurred. "As long as it's delicious, no one's going to hate you."

"The cancel culture comes in when you appropriate and the food's not delicious and you claim you're an expert. That's the problem. When you're humble about it and your food is bomb — that's all that matters."

A non-Asian person making sushi, for example, should not have to verse themselves in Japanese culture just to become an itamae.

"No, you don't have to as long as it's delicious," he insisted. "Just make it delicious."

Speaking of delicious food, why don't weddings ever serve what we actually want to eat, like Chinese or tacos ... or sushi?! It turns out there is a technical reason ... although it's not one adhered to by the "Godfather of Food Trucks" himself.

"I always have a wedding at a Chinese restaurant, or hire the Kogi truck," he boasted, giving his own award-winning Mexican-Korean fusion a little shameless self-plug.

"Wouldn't you want that, versus grilled airline chicken with cold mashed potatoes and, like, a warm unsalty vinaigrette?"

The reason they serve such fare at weddings?

"Because it's easy to execute from a banquet standpoint," he explained. "Because you can pre-mark everything and put it in a hot box. Because for example, you can't put like chow mein in a hot box because the noodles will get starchy."

Boooo!