> Food authenticity should only mean DOP or geographic identity (GI) regulation.

It shouldn't even mean this much, frankly, as those things are merely protectionist trade policies meant to artificially drive up the price of certain goods without regard for quality. People on the Internet give too much deference to politicized trade regulations.

It’s ok to admit you can’t tell the difference between real parmigiana and kraft Parmesan. You don’t need get defensive and claim everyone else except you is a phony because of your lack of interest and/or taste.

I don't think snooty rules about how to make carbonara or alla gricia are actually driving up prices. In the case of cacio e pepe, the snooty recipe is also the cheapest (it's just trickier to pull off.)

You can still choose not to buy the “authentic“ good can’t you?

Maybe in some cases. There's a pretty clear distinction in quality from some "gruyere" made in say Wisconsin and a AOP gruyere like 1655. Meanwhile there's a stupid amount of good alpine cheese in the US that aren't named gruyere, like alpha tolman that are happy just saying it's gruyere like.