SC - Anthro and cooking

[James F. Johnson]

We've tumbled onto one of the characteristics of anthropology's
definition of culture, that symbols (in this case, words) have meanings,
and that such meanings may differ between two cultures for the same
'symbol.' 

Interpretation has several meanings, among them being language
translation, artistic variation of a work, and highlighting the
significance a specific piece of information in a museum display (can
you tell where I come from?). Interpretation relavant to language is not
limited to direct, literal translation, but 'translating' the meaning as
well from it's context in one language to a similar context in the
other. Sometimes, there isn't a similar context, which means you get
those phrases that 'don't translate.' I recall an attempt to translate
the compliment that another pilot could 'fly by the seat of his pants'
came out as flying by sitting on the controls. I often see modernized
verions of Shakespear's plays, attempting to make the play more modernly
accessable and relevant to a 20th century audience. Interpretation is
more about translating the _context_ than just the meaning. 

In that case, I would think of adapting modern ingredients to a recipe
that called for unavailable ones as more of an 'interpretation' than a
'redaction'.
The one definition of redaction, that of modifying a document to fit a
specific format, as highly accurate of what we do with source recipes.

Using the music analogy has problems. Some music I play was written for
instruments I do not play (for me, it's percussion). I love Baroque
music, but I play on pedalled machine-tensioned kettledrums with Mylar
heads, not separate lug screw tension (or rope-tensioned) kettle drums
with calfskin heads. I have greater range of pitch and greater speed in
changing them, but the tone is thinner and cooler. And, according to an
interesting article on the subject, the flourishes played by kettledrums
at the end of phrases wasn't written in very often. It was assumed the
performer knew how to choose the appropriate flourish for the
appropriate time. (Sound familiar?). Interpretation in music is what an
experienced performer does with the 'blanks' in the music, the details
too subtle to describe with the standard notation and vocabulary. Sort
of like 'salt and pepper to taste.' Then there are those times I look at
the score, at what's written, and compare it to what the rest of the
music is doing, and conclude that there is a transcription or
typesetting error. I play it differently, not because I'm being
creative, but that I conclude that's how the composer did or might have
prefered it.

If not 'redaction,' which is my first choice still, I would go with
'translation,' with 'interpretation' saved for those recipies that lack
clarity or a personal 'improved' version of a source recipe

Seumas
- -- 
James F. Johnson  
seumas at mind.net
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"My love was science -- specifically biology and, more specifically, 
which of two organisms, when placed in a common jar, would devour 
the other."												--Gary Larson

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