Re: \"Authentic\" food - explain it to me.
 

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When I read your OP I think of Chinese fast food with sweet and sour chicken balls compared to authentic Chinese food. But then you said fast food isn't what you are talking about, do you have any specific examples?

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I think guids had a pretty good one. Middle-of-the-road Italian restaurants in America seem like they are probably serving something that's evolved over time relatively far away from Italian food. EDIT: Chinese food (though the distinction between what is fast food and what isn't is perhaps a bit unclear to me here) is another classic example that people cite.

Re: \"Authentic\" food - explain it to me.
 

Re: Chinese food...

Wow, wiki really does have everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Chinese_cuisine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cuisine

Does a pretty good job of describing the difference. As to why someone prefers the authentic, I see it as people using food to learn about other cultures. Obviously everyone has different motives behind their preference of food. The 'snob factor' is probably quite large.

Re: \"Authentic\" food - explain it to me.
 

The dining experience isn't always 100% about the food. Especially at a high-end restaurant, sometimes it's about the experience as a whole. So I'm theorizing that "authentic" food is different from "typical" food, and is thus part of an experience designed to transport the diner in some way to another place. For a nice night out I also dress nicer and do some other things differently. While they may not make the food taste better, they make the evening in general more "special".