The nonsense of authenticity reviews

I was browsing Yelp reviews of my neighborhood Thai restaurant and was surprised to see that a recent review gave it only 2 stars. The reviewer, whose profile pic showed a middle-aged white man, complained that the restaurant was inauthentic.

At first I accepted his take, wondering if the tom kha was a little too sweet and if the kitchen staff was even Thai. But then I was struck by the review’s absurdity.

What made this guy qualified to evaluate the restaurant’s authenticity? I doubt he’s spent much time in Thailand, maybe a 2 week vacation at best, or that he’s a scholar of Thai cuisine. How would he know better than the restaurant owners of Thai origin?

Traveling does not make one an authority on local cuisine.

Furthermore, food can vary wildly within a country, from region to region. I spent almost a year in Mexico. Yet, I only recently tried birria (and it was at a restaurant in the U.S.). It’s no surprise. Birria is from Jalisco on the Pacific Coast of Mexico and I stayed in the Northeastern desert. And I’ve never been to Jalisco.

It’s one thing to leave a bad review because a customer did not enjoy the food. Taste is personal. Reviews regarding satisfaction are valid. But that should be stated instead of taking a stab at the restaurant’s authenticity.

It may also be the case that a restaurant isn’t trying to be authentic. Take Taco Bell or Panda Express, as examples. But if that is the crux of the critique, it should be stated explicitly in the review.

Authenticity reviews also disproportionately plague international restaurants. American restaurants never face scrutiny on the criterion. Yet, lack of authenticity appears to be a one-size-fits all criticism of any international restaurant that doesn’t live up to a customer’s expectations.

Looking at pages for restaurants that are deemed authentic, Americans seem to award this accolade to restaurants that are kitschy, have non-white clientele, use non-English language, or are in industrial locations. The description seems to be less about the food and more about how foreign a place feels.

The sheer number of reviews attacking authenticity on sites like Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor are a hassle to sift through. And they ultimately damage the credibility of user reviews in general.