> Tew said her chili crunch is based on her Malaysian family’s recipe, where she grew up.
> Momfuku’s Chang, who is of Korean descent
> Caleb Wang, who grew up between Chicago and Shanghai, recently revamped MìLà’s line of sauces
> Fly By Jing’s Gao is an advisor to Tew and investor in Homiah. Born in Chengdu, Sichuan, Gao says that chili condiments have existed in China for a very long time
Whenever they talk about people in the food industry, they list their country of birth or their family origin. With the arguable exception of that last example, I'm not sure I understand why doing so is relevant. Is there a political or national component to this case of trademark bullying? If so, the article ought to inform me about it. Would the grounds for trademark infringement be different if either party were born in different countries? My assumption is no, so it feels like an odd and purposefully preoccupation on the part of The Guardian. Do they do this for all articles?
In this case I think it is to point out the absurdity of trying to claim ownership of a condiment that has existed across multiple Asian cultures for centuries.
Probably some oversensitivity to the idea of "cultural appropriation " which is interesting considering the main ingredients besides Sichuan peppercorn is chili peppers .
I would assume it's because their background could very much point to the type of cuisine they cook. A US citizen with French parents could grow up eating French cuisine for the majority of their meals, which would then explain why they are a chef cooking French food.
I think in this instance it's showing how these are all very different countries that make their own chili crunch.
> Momfuku’s Chang, who is of Korean descent
> Caleb Wang, who grew up between Chicago and Shanghai, recently revamped MìLà’s line of sauces
> Fly By Jing’s Gao is an advisor to Tew and investor in Homiah. Born in Chengdu, Sichuan, Gao says that chili condiments have existed in China for a very long time
Whenever they talk about people in the food industry, they list their country of birth or their family origin. With the arguable exception of that last example, I'm not sure I understand why doing so is relevant. Is there a political or national component to this case of trademark bullying? If so, the article ought to inform me about it. Would the grounds for trademark infringement be different if either party were born in different countries? My assumption is no, so it feels like an odd and purposefully preoccupation on the part of The Guardian. Do they do this for all articles?