MasterChef Australia 2024’s Savindri ‘Sav’ Perera has blown away the judges with her array of beautiful and flavoursome Sri Lankan dishes.
Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for some angry social media users, who’ve criticised the MasterChef contestant for predominantly choosing to cook dishes inspired by her heritage.
Exhibit A:
Sav has heard the negative social media commentary loud and clear. Shortly after she won the Mystery Box challenge that aired on July 7 with her traditional Sri Lankan dish Lamprais, she took to her own Instagram story to call out the haters.
“It has been overwhelming to see the response to my Lamprais. Amongst all this I have had the misfortune of coming across a lot of ignorance,” she began.
Sav said she’d come across comments calling her dish a “mish mash” and “just a curry”.
“Whilst my first reaction is to get fired up about this, it’s actually deeply saddening and indicative of how incredibly Eurocentric people’s views STILL are on what’s considered “technical” and “fine”,” she penned.
“The food of the subcontinent is often viewed as lesser, as a cheap thing, as something not technical & skilful.”
Sav explained the complex techniques involved in making her dish
Sav took the time to explain just how tricky her Lamprais dish is to make.
“It takes years to master how to balance spices, to curate aromatics, to play along the symphony of complex flavours, to master the consistency of the doughs & batters. The food of my culture does not need to meet a Eurocentric ideal to be considered beautiful,” she said.
The home cook added that she was grateful that the MasterChef judges, Andy Allen, Jean Christophe Novelli, Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levine, recognised the complexity of her traditional dish.
“They understand how much skill, technique, instinct & precision is involved in executing culturally significant dishes,” she said.
Sav made it clear that she’s proud to represent her culture on MasterChef
Sav finished off with a mic drop, making it clear how (rightfully) proud she is to represent her culture on national TV.
More than ever, what these comments have shown me is that I ABSOLUTELY made the right move in representing my Sri Lankan heritage,” she wrote.
“The more we talk about our cuisine with pride, with unapologetic fondness, the more we get to shine a light on its value.
“I may not have grown up seeing a brown woman cook the dishes my mother cooked for me on TV & be praised for it. But today, I got to give that gift to a little girl watching me somewhere.”
MasterChef’s Harry explained why contestants tend to stick to certain cuisines
Out of the 2024 MasterChef Australia contestants, it’s not just Sav who’s generally stuck to one sort of cuisine, or style of cooking.
The top four contestants are a prime example of this – Harry cooked a lot of seafood, Pezza often opts for prime cuts of meat, and Nat regularly whips up Asian dishes.
During a post-elimination interview with Chattr, Harry explained that when it comes to choosing the challenge dish, it’s a good idea to go with something you know you’re skilled at.
“I think it’d be silly to go into something like that, where you have the opportunity to play to your strengths in a particular challenge, and not take that,” he said.
“At the end of the day, we’re all obviously there to create awesome dishes because we love cooking, but it’s also a competition, and each one of us wanted to win,” he added.
The MasterChef Australia 2024 Finale will air on Tuesday, 16 July on Channel 10 and 10Play at 7:30pm.
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