NBC's Black History Month Menu...Racist?

[Pendlum]

THe connection of Fried Chicken is in the fact that it is an example of low country cuisine. In the twentieth century, fried chicken became a staple "soul food" and was often used during segregation for long distance fare for travellers because it kept well so it worked well during a time when Blacks were not served on train dining cars and restaurants did not sell to them...

And now I know, and knowledge is power! :tongue: That is interesting though.

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

That menu is pretty much what I ate on New Year's Day.

 

[156159]

I agree that in this case it was an overreaction. The chef meant no offense by serving that menu and almost the exact same menu was served at my work cafeteria with no complaints. Getting agitated over something like this is not an effective way to bring awareness to contemporary racism and discrimination.

 

[Flashy]

yeah the strangest thing is the outcry when the chef is an african american woman who obviously had absolutely no agenda other than to make a delicious meal for everyone to enjoy...

hell, i am white and jewish, and i love fried chicken, and i love watermelon, and since those are the two "stereotypical" food types attributed to african americans, it is so strange to have to tiptoe around that in this particular case...

hell i eat watermelon twice a week.... and i never think of black history when i eat it...i just think how good it is...which is what i assume everyone, black, white asian etc. thinks when they have watermelon.

when i think of this whole flap, it reminds me of course, of the hysterical Dave Chappelle bit about fried chicken from one of his concerts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ4B7G8Rw3Q

 

[captain garbonzo]

yeah the strangest thing is the outcry when the chef is an african american woman who obviously had absolutely no agenda other than to make a delicious meal for everyone to enjoy...

That's because the people automatically assumed the chef was white. If the guy blogging about it had mentioned the chef was black, the reaction would have been the same as here. Actually, he would not have blogged about it in the first place if he knew the chef was black, unless he intentionally left that out just to get a rise from his audience.

 

[naughty]

yeah the strangest thing is the outcry when the chef is an african american woman who obviously had absolutely no agenda other than to make a delicious meal for everyone to enjoy...

hell, i am white and jewish, and i love fried chicken, and i love watermelon, and since those are the two "stereotypical" food types attributed to african americans, it is so strange to have to tiptoe around that in this particular case...

hell i eat watermelon twice a week.... and i never think of black history when i eat it...i just think how good it is...which is what i assume everyone, black, white asian etc. thinks when they have watermelon.

when i think of this whole flap, it reminds me of course, of the hysterical Dave Chappelle bit about fried chicken from one of his concerts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ4B7G8Rw3Q

Dont you love Dave Chapelle? He turns everything on its ear. Another one to check out is WHoppie Goldberg's original Broadway show where she plays a junkie named Fontaine who goes to Europe. But seriously, I know people who will not eat or allow their own family to consume fried chicken, watermelon or grape soda because they dont want to be stereotyped. I will confess I love all of them and I have no problems eating them in public. "If if eating that is wrong, I dont want to be white1" ( yes I did say that! ) LOL!

 

[SpeedoMike]

a number of years ago I attended a banquet at one of San Francisco's five star hotels. menu was oxtails, collard greens, cornbread, and Kool-Aid. The banquet was a fund raiser for the Urban League, a highly prestigious negro/black/african-american organization.

black politician Willy Brown was MC. after the invocation, he quipped that when he looked at the menu he felt we should be praying for the chef. I doubt he could get away with that comment today.

as for the NBC commissary, Jay Leno should be the person commenting on its menu. for 17 years he's never been at a loss for words to jab the commissary.

 

[D_Andreas Sukov]

This reminds me of the time i went travelling in europe and some continental friends cooked me Bacon, fried egg, hash browns, beans sauage and a fried slice with a weak tea. Needless to say i left their house immediatly and havent spoken to them since.



(Reading this thread makes me want some fried chicken so badly)