Dos Miradas a la Autenticidad: Nostalgia Sensorial y Nostalgia de Conquista en el Campo Culinario Mexicano de la Ciudad de Nueva York

Abstract

This article analyzes the different expressions of authenticity, fidelity, and genuineness surrounding the Mexican culinary scene in New York. On the one hand, self-identified Mexicans express sensory and memory nostalgia during the production and consumption of foods they recognize as their own. For these individuals, the intersection of nostalgia and authenticity contributes to the formation of strategies that allow them to integrate into a new environment while maintaining ties and practices with their places of origin. On the other hand, there are expressions I call nostalgia of consumption and conquest (ersatz nostalgia). Although the convergence of terms seems to suggest a common ground for dialogue, I maintain that they frame distinct processes. To this end, the study is based on participant observation, a review of newspapers, and semi-structured interviews, which contribute to studies that revisit emotions as fundamental elements in the analysis of sociocultural phenomena, such as migration, and of some differences between the production and consumption of migrant food offerings.