I get what you're saying too. We seem to interpret the meaning and connotations of the words oppositely. Maybe that means neither words are appropriate if they have different meanings to different people. It's a topic that interests me personally very much.
I think I would still say authentic sounds more misrepresentative than traditional but that's also only been my experience as a consumer. I'm happy to listen and learn for sure.
I edited my post to add the following:
"Also, how far down the authentic/traditional rabbit hole are we ready to go?
As we discussed in last months Food Appropriation thread, food has a murky and melting pot tradition. Cantonese style ribs aren't Cantonese in origin but taken from other cultures. Black America probably has the best rights to lay claim to mac n cheese but mac in cheese is rooted in Swiss culinary tradition. Delta Tamales in Mississippi are a staple in black communities and in black owned restaurants but are lifted wholesale from Mexican immigrants."
I think we'd probably see the above co-mingling and the like of food more often than not, to be honest. And if that's the case then "authentic" is probably meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
I always come down on the side of "don't be a dick". My wife wants me to open a food truck when I finally get burned out on IT and I'd probably do something like jianbingguozi, which was one of my favorite foods when living in Shanghai and is very versatile. Though I probably wouldn't call it traditional or authentic as a whole cause, living in Texas, I'd have to put some brisket into one of them.
That seems to be the general MO as well. Rarely do you come across some white asshole calling his restaurant "Mi So Horni" but it happens and I understand how those outliers influence the overall narrative.
