10/08/2013
Recipes come from many different sources. Certain recipes may be called standards - just as in jazz music - such as traditional pasta dishes from the different regions of Italy, pierógi from Poland, or curry dishes from India that are found on many tables time and time again. Other recipes come out of necessity or opportunity with whatever ingredients you might find in your kitchen or garden. Still others are borne of creativity, an idea - however poorly executed (or otherwise) - that sends you to the store searching for blood oranges, roe, dark chocolate, and beef jerky. The most common recipe, however, is one that is found in a book or online and is, therefore, the property of whomever took the time to write the recipe down and share it with us.
Recently, I have been wondering about the idea of ownership of recipes. Can a recipe be someone's intellectual property? Is it not the recipe itself, but the words a person used to describe the process they followed to create a dish that might be called their property? How might we discern between which recipes must be referenced and which could be considered part of the public domain. And what happens when you create a recipe and then, with further research, you stumble across recipes eerily similar to your own? Is it just taste families and similar palettes that cause people to combine similar ingredients time and time again?
These questions all interest me, but given that I cook mostly traditional/family dishes (perhaps tweaked a bit) or dishes that I come up with on my own, I do not worry so much that one day I'll get sued over a carbonara or an amatriciana. In my belief, these are simply recipes that nobody owns. Try to go and tell Nonna that she needs to pay a royalty on her lasagna or her kitchen might be shut down. What's really interesting me at the moment is when the -offense- goes the other way round.
About a week ago, I posted a recipe on Snapguide for a pasta that I called " Light Spring/Summer Pasta (Salad): La Pasta alla Ch**ca Romana." This is a dish my husband has always made "just like Nonna always made it," and has become a favorite even for my side of the family.
La Pasta alla Ch**ca Romana
As a guide, it was fairly popular, as I knew it would be; not that I'm tooting my own horn, it's just that I can see what's trending on Snapguide, I can feel how hot it is outside, and -healthy- is always in fashion. It has almost 100 likes and 550 views at this point, so for a few days it was on the Popular Food section, which made me ecstatic (it's always nice to be appreciated!).
Out of nowhere, 2-3 days later, another guide (with a few adaptations) for "La Pasta Alla Ch**ca" appeared (as created by a user whom will not be named)! Now, I believe that coincidences are mathematical proof of the existence of god, but it just seemed strange to me. In researching Snapguide, I found that, according to its Facebook, it was founded in 2011 and has about 10,000 members. Ours are the only two guides in almost three years to make the same kind of pasta, and they were posted within three days of each other? That doesn't seem right.
Now, obviously, as I discussed before, this is a traditional recipe (with a few adaptations), therefore I do not claim any ownership over the recipe. The other user does not have to give me credit for the recipe being mine, but when is it appropriate for gonzo foodies to credit each other for inspiring them (or even just reminding them) to do/discuss/create/post their version of a recipe?
It happens all the time! How often do we see, "This is my version of "Recipe/Craft/Project as originally created by "Userx" or Martha Stewart or Better Homes and Gardens; thanks guys for the inspiration, I hope my version came out just as good as yours" or "I loved your version, but I made a few changes in mine!" That's wonderful; why would we be posting guides if we did not want people to make our dishes and projects? It's flattery, really!
Now, disclaimer: I am NOT accusing this user of "copying" me. I am just pondering: what are the chances that an active user (as I am as well) who is constantly on the site/making guides did NOT see my guide while scrolling over the food section (or even receive it as a suggestion while looking at one of his own guides)? I guess it's a possibility.
All I'm saying is that had this user seen my guide before making his, I would have loved for him to give me a shout out along the lines of, "Oh, Dydo's guide for this recipe made me remember that I totally LOVE making it and I'd like to put my version out their for you as well!"
Maybe a link. That's it. Nothing extravagant. Just consideration. That's all. We're all adults here, right?
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