French-style Thai?

What do you think of chefs who put their spin on traditional food? What about cultures that put their spin on another culture's food? Me, I'm of several minds. On the one hand, innovation happens when you push the envelope. On the other hand, violating tradition simply to violate tradition feels rude and obnoxious.

I'm more partial to Chef Jean-Pierre, below, because he's open about how he's imparting his own spin to a Thai dish, specifically noting how he's departing from the original. But in the case of, say, Korean or Japanese carbonara, which is an utter violation of what carbonara is supposed to be, I'm much less merciful. Real, traditional carbonara has no onions in it, nor does it have any cream. East Asian "carbonara" (karbonara?) has both heavy cream and onions. Disgusting. So maybe I'm less judgmental when it's just one chef putting his spin on a culture's food, but I'm more judgmental when it's a culture heedlessly appropriating another culture's food with no real respect for the original. I don't know.

That said, I'm occasionally pissed off by chefs and cooks who compulsively change around other cultures' foods without ever making the effort to make a given dish the original, sanctioned way. Sam the Cooking Guy, Chef Jean-Pierre, and Jamie Oliver all come to kind as compulsive "spinners." At the other end of the spectrum is Chef Andy, who bends over backwards trying to make different cultures' dishes the original, traditional way. Andy's popularity has exploded when people saw his humility and his general lack of a desire to "put his own spin" on different foods. He will create variations on occasion, but when he does so, he's always sure to tell you that he's going off the beaten track.

Watch the video below, and if you're Thai, let me know what you think of Chef Jean-Pierre's take on this originally Thai dish.