Jonathan Kauffman Eats at Viva Goa, Wonders What 'Authentic' Means

Nilofer M./Yelp

Viva Goa's malabari jinga.

​Fuck authenticity, a word used ― in the context of food we approve of ― like Vaseline on memory's lens. When it's food we don't exactly like, it can be a cudgel. But what can ever be "authentic" about a cuisine re-created 5,000 miles from its source, with fish, meats, and vegetables that can't be remotely right? That's the Jenga puzzle Jonathan Kauffman ponders in today's "Eat" column at SF Weekly: Should Viva Goa ― the new Goan-cuisine restaurant on Lombard, steeped in the cooking of southwest coastal India ― be dinged for distorting the region's traditional flavor profiles, or admired, at face value, for the dishes it does well? Ponder along with Kauffman at SFWeekly.com.