When people argue that food from Chinese and Mexican restaurants in the US are not 'real' representations of that culture's cuisine ignore the historical reality that these dishes were developed by diasporic communities striving to recreate the flavors of home with available resources. Such criticism frames adaptation as a loss of authenticity, rather than recognizing it as a sincere and evolving expression of culture by people separated from their homeland.

In your 20s, you'll feel like you're losing the race. It's important to understand that there is no race.

Not even against yourself.

At all.

i get where y'all be coming from but i be coming from somewhere else

For your own sanity, always take mixed signals as a no