“The food represents”: Barbadian foodways in the diaspora

As migrants adjust to life in a new country, food practices often shift. The literature shows that many migrants alter their diets to more closely reflect those in the host nation, at least in public venues. Some adjust native dishes to accommodate available ingredients, but may view these changes as rendering foods less “traditional.” However, Barbadian transnational migrants in Atlanta experience these alterations differently. They consciously perform Barbadianness by electing to serve “traditional” foods when eating with each other, or sharing with an American audience. Yet, while numerous changes are made to these “traditional” dishes, this does not make them less authentic. These shifts do not alter the legitimacy of a dish, but rather this interaction between the available ingredients and the attempt to create a traditional food is actually a practice of authenticity. The dynamic change that food undergoes in the migrant experience echoes the changing nature of Barbadian foodways throughout Caribbean history.