February 22, 2018

Did NYU serve a racist dinner to celebrate Black History Month?

The NYT describes the controversy:
On Tuesday, a dining hall at New York University advertised a special meal in honor of Black History Month. On the menu? Barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard greens, and two beverages with racist connotations: Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water.

Nia Harris, a sophomore in N.Y.U.’s College of Arts & Science, sought an explanation from Weinstein Passport Dining Hall’s head cook. The cook dismissed her objections, Ms. Harris said in an email to university officials, telling her that the Kool-Aid was actually fruit punch (it was not, she said) and that the dining hall served fruit-flavored water “all the time” (it does, she said, but not watermelon).

The head cook also told Ms. Harris that the employees who planned the menu were black.

Ms. Harris, 19, posted a screen shot of her email on Facebook, along with a post that began, “This is what it’s like to be a black student at New York University.” It spread quickly....
The university president blamed Aramark, the company that provides the university's food service. Aramark blamed 2 of its workers. Supposedly, they deviated from the company's "longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion." So those 2 guys got fired, which can't be what Nia Harris wanted, can it?
In a phone interview Wednesday evening, Ms. Harris said she chose to believe that the Aramark employees had acted out of ignorance of their menu’s implications, not out of malice. But she added that, while she was glad they had been fired, it should not have been her responsibility to point out the problem — one that she said went far beyond a single incident.
To fire the 2 low-level workers is to say this is not a systemic problem but an inconsequential deviation from the norm by 2 inconsequential people. They're out and now we can return to our proud tradition of diversity and inclusion. [AND: The article is cagy about revealing the facts, but if I'm reading this correctly, the 2 men who lost their job are black.]

ADDED: This post caused me to make a new tag, "watermelon," and to apply to posts in the archive. In this process of retroactive tagging, I found 2 fascinating things.

First, the time Dan Rather said, about our first black President, Barack Obama, "if a state trooper is flagging down the traffic on a highway, Obama couldn't sell watermelons."

Second, the story of how Sayyid Qutb — who inspired al Qaeda — grew to hate Americans. So I dug up the text of "The America I Have Seen: In the Scale of Human Values" Sayyid Qutb ash-Shaheed (1951). The relevant excerpt:
As for their food, that too is very strange. You will attract attention, and cause disbelief, if you request another cube of sugar for the cup of coffee or tea that you drink in America. Sugar is reserved for pickles and salads, while salt, my good sir, is saved for apples and watermelons.

On your plate you will find combined a piece of salted meat, some boiled corn, some boiled peas, and some sweet jam. And on top of all this is what Americans call gravy, which is composed sometimes of fat, vinegar, flour, broth, apples, salt and pepper, and sugar, and water.

We were at the table in one of the cafeterias of the University, when I saw some Americans putting salt on their watermelon. And I was prepared to see these strange fads and also to play jokes on them from time to time. And I said, faking innocence, "I see you sprinkling salt on the watermelon." One of them said," Yes! Don't you do the same in Egypt?" I said, "No! We sprinkle pepper!" A surprised and curious giri said," How would that taste?" I said, "You can try for yourself!" She tasted it and said approvingly," It's tasty!" and so did all the others.

On another day in which watermelon was served, and most of the same people were at the table, I said "Some of us in Egypt use sugar at times instead of pepper." One of them tried it and said, "How tasty!" and so did all the others.
How nice we were to him!

216 comments:

1 – 200 of 216   Newer›   Newest»
Kevin said...

The head cook also told Ms. Harris that the employees who planned the menu were black.

So a black NYU student complains about a meal served on the Ivy League campus and two black service workers lose their jobs?

And the NYT is glad.

How dare those people not serve their elites in the manner to which they have become accustomed.

I think we're off to a running start today.

Lyssa said...

I'd love to know more about the two employees who were fired.
While I read the internet enough that I would know that this is the sort of thing that would cause an uproar, I guess I can see the logic, of people, who were black themselves, being familiar with the stereotypical foods and embracing them, because they legitimately like them (they're good foods!). It's the stark divide between people who consider whether or not things are "problematic" and those who just live their lives.

I have an Italian heritage - if I were planning a dinner related to Italian-ism in some way, I'd certainly choose foods that are stereotypically associated with Italian-Americans. Those are good foods, and it would be downright strange if we had tacos. Heck, my family's not the least bit Irish, but I'll probably still host a St. Patrick's Day dinner next month, because I just like making corned beef (which is probably not even a bit Irish).

Greg said...

She got 2 low level black workers fired. Her tuition is probably more than their annual wages (used to be). I hope she's proud.

tim in vermont said...

Will the fired employees be required to sew a scarlet 'R' on their outer garments?

The Drill SGT said...

students are always in search of something to be outraged about. If not this, then it would be about the lack of culturally appropriate food in the dining hall. e.g. Too much "Jewish" food and not enough "Black" food.

MadisonMan said...

I appreciate the irony here.

I wonder what the student thinks should have been served.

tim in vermont said...

They should put on a production of The Crucible. LOL kidding, no way anybody there has that much self-awareness.

Carol said...

Gee, and they used to call it Soul Food.

Kevin said...

I wonder what the student thinks should have been served.

That's the real question, isn't it?

tim in vermont said...

It's about not just class, but caste.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
iowan2 said...

Somewhere Fuzzy Zeller has poured himself a tall highball and is smiling.

rhhardin said...

If life hands you watermelons, make watermelonaide.

Peter said...

I wonder what the student thinks should have been served.

Surely low-level black workers in the catering industry must know the tastes of black studies profs and students run to Coquilles-St-Jacques, Chablis and crème caramel.

tcrosse said...

Instead they got take-out from Popeye's.

Shouting Thomas said...

This incessant catering to the whims of a single black who complains is part of what is causing the turmoil and violence in Madison schools.

Get rid of Black History Month. Stop telling blacks that they are entitled to more. The outcome of all this ass kissing is the opposite of what proponents expect. (Or maybe it isn’t.)

rhhardin said...

Black history month is celebrated by taking offense. It's like women's history month.

Wince said...

The head cook also told Ms. Harris that the employees who planned the menu were black...
"The university president blamed Aramark, the company that provides the university's food service. Aramark blamed 2 of its workers."


So, who really did plan the menu so rife with negative stereotypes?

hawkeyedjb said...

Here we have one of the most privileged humans on earth - a student at New York University - expressing her happiness that she fucked over a couple of low-level food service workers. And of course, OF COURSE, the university, the food service company, everyone involved has to run to express solidarity with the privileged one, and proclaim ever stronger commitment to the exalted values of Inclusion and Diversity. I wonder when such petty mistakes will come to be capital crimes.

rhhardin said...

Taking offense must be accompanied by losing job. That's a modern development, caused by diversity on corporate boards.

Ralph L said...

White people eat collard and turnip greens around here. Don't ask me why, twice in 57 years was more than enough for me.

NYU served Southern food, not black food.

rhhardin said...

It's like school shooting, only with jobs.

MacMacConnell said...

The proud successful Black men Mr Bryant and Mr Gates of Kansas City BBQ history would be happy with the menu. Both have restaurants with photos of every Us Presidents since Harry Truman to Obama on the walls and damn near every US Black leader since Truman's time. No meal say "Black history" like BBQ, well except in Texas where they call grilled meat BBQ.

TreeJoe said...

So some black food planners provided a menu for a dinner celebrating black history month with food that they self-identified as food liked by blacks.

And got fired for it because a black student complained.

Sebastian said...

Diversity means including out working-class deplorables.

Fernandinande said...

“This is what it’s like to be a black student at New York University.”

Other black people made food that they think black people would like because they like it, and you liked it too but you think you're not supposed to like it because you're black and it would be stereotypical and also you're a **Scholar** unlike the pissants who work in food service that you're accusing of racism because you're half-crazy.

Oh the horror. That the media repeats this whining about trivia.

Jersey Fled said...

I used to have a black employee who used to joke all of the time about how much she really loved fried chicken. She said it must be a genetic thing.

And another black employee who taught me to cook black dishes because she knew I liked to cook.

Of course these were just working class black women. Like the two who just got fired. Not students at an elite university.

rhhardin said...

The point taken offense to is that any stereotype is true.

That's stereotypical with blacks.

DanTheMan said...

Diversity = no other opinions allowed
Inclusion = removed from campus

Anonymous said...

Say it loud!
I.m black and I'm proud!

Leland said...

I say no, because they didn't include fried chicken and watermelon.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

PC rules for food. Freaking pathetic.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The left eats itself.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Weinstein Passport Dining Hall

Hey - that building should be demolished.

Curious George said...

"tcrosse said...
Instead they got take-out from Popeye's."

Hahahaha!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The assumption that creating food that blacks would like, and then feeling embarrassed about it, IS WHITE LEFTWING RACISM.

Feel the stupid.

Geeebers. The food is fine. All colors of people like corn bread and ribs.

Bob Boyd said...

BLM - Black Lunch Matters

tim in vermont said...

Jersey, When I see stories like this I just assume that the people involved don't actually know any black people socially. Somebody should have sat down with this girl and explained some stuff. Maybe she could have had dinner with them at their home. Sat around a table with them, held hands and said Grace.

No, caste considerations put that off limits. Hopefully her parents have a talk with her.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Collard greens = fire-able offense. Same with steamed broccoli.

Peter said...

@Bob Boyd

BLM - Black Lunch Matters

LOL. FTW.

DanTheMan said...

Of course she’s glad they got fired. PC is all about censorship, which is all about the power to make other people do what you want.

Oso Negro said...

Blogger Fernandistein said...
“This is what it’s like to be a black student at New York University.”

Other black people made food that they think black people would like because they like it, and you liked it too but you think you're not supposed to like it because you're black and it would be stereotypical and also you're a **Scholar** unlike the pissants who work in food service that you're accusing of racism because you're half-crazy.

Oh the horror. That the media repeats this whining about trivia.

2/22/18, 8:11 AM


Whining about a perceived slight is as negrodocious as it gets for some folks.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

DanTheMan for the win.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

In America, cornbread and ribs is racist. NO MORE CORN BREAD AND RIBS, BITCHES.

tim in vermont said...

Egyptian troll!

Fernandinande said...

Did NYU serve a racist dinner to celebrate Black History Month?

A racist holiday deserves a racist dinner.

TestTube said...

So many unanswered questions! The NYT reporter really could have dug deeper here to uncover a richer, more relevant story.

Were the fired workers black? The article implies they were, as there is a statement by the Head Cook that the planners were black, and the employees who were fired were associated with planning the meal. But that may not be the case.

No attempt was made to find out who the fired workers were or to get their perspective. Was it a well-paid position? How many years of service did they have with the company? With the NYU cafeteria system? Did they get another job? Were they indeed black? Did they get money for a severance? Were they good workers, or was this a chance to scapegoat someone who was a poor performer or trouble maker? What do they plan to do about this? Move on? Sue? Something else?

What about the other workers? Many of them probably are black, and not college educated. How do they feel? Do they identify more with the fired workers or the complaining student? What did they think of the menu? How do they regard the students? What is the employment atmosphere at the NYU cafeteria location? Did they like the fired workers? Were the fired workers friends, or just people they worked with, or someone they would prefer to be rid of? What do they plan to do about the situation? Keep their heads down? Find another job? Stand up for the fired workers?

Is there a union? What does the union rep have to say about this?

So many questions!

Ralph L said...

My cousins would salt watermelon. Freaked us out as kids.

call gravy, which is composed sometimes of fat, vinegar, flour, broth, apples, salt
and pepper, and sugar, and water.

Weird gravy.

Leland said...

My cousins would salt watermelon.

Yumm, tasty!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Ever been to a "native Foods" restaurant? I think it's a chain. Anyway, they serve watermelon water.

FREAKING RACISTS!

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I wonder what the student thinks should have been served.

Well, except for the Koolaid and no beer this would exactly be a typical Arkansas white people dinner as well. I know my family and hubby's families come from there. We still eat the same thing, without collard greens because we can't find them still in Oregon and California.

The HORROR!!!! Made to eat good food that actually represents part of your history. It is like Chinese People being served Chinese food on Chinese New Year. HOW insulting!

This girl is going to have a real problem when she faces the real world.

mockturtle said...

But it was the dancing, not the food, that threw Qutb into a frenzy of revulsion.

Bob Boyd said...

"Ms. Harris said she chose to believe that the Aramark employees had acted out of ignorance of their menu’s implications, not out of malice. But she added that, while she was glad they had been fired, it should not have been her responsibility to point out the problem — one that she said went far beyond a single incident."

Wow. Talk about acting white.

Dr Weevil said...

If there's any justice in the world, Aramark is lying and pretending they fired the two employees, but in fact transferred them to equivalent jobs at another location equally convenient to their commutes, with maybe a small bonus for the inconvenience of having to get used to new colleagues and customers. Of course, they would not be able to confirm this, so we'll never know. But that is the minimum decent thing they could have done, and they obviously didn't do the maximum, which is tell the idiot student to get stuffed, and do their best to get her expelled, or at least banned from the dining hall.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It's so NYU that someone lost their employment over this.

William said...

I could do without the collard greens, but the other items on the menu are worthy of celebration not denigration. Maybe they should ban the playing of jazz music during Black History Month. It's too stereotypical.

Bob Boyd said...

"This girl is going to have a real problem when she faces the real world."

Thus the ongoing Prog project to try to remake the real world into a college campus.

tim in vermont said...

Collard greens are great if you don't overcook them. I saute them with a little beer added to steam them and a little salt. If I have made some black eyed peas, I ladle some of them over the greens and it is pretty good. You just can't cook the starch out of them.

Leland said...

I guess I missed the watermelon water. But that's not racist. It is just stupid. Nobody drinks watermelon water except yuppies. Go big or go home, serve the real thing, actual watermelon.

chuck said...

> she was glad they had been fired

Bitch.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Absolutely hilarious because, well, it is. But also very sad. Like the post about Madison schools yesterday, just another example of African-Americans propelling themselves into the dumpster. Just as their White Democrat masters have been conditioning them to do.

Rick said...

So those 2 guys got fired, which can't be what Nia Harris wanted, can it?

Why not? Extorting people with the threat of a mediastorm is always going to create negative outcomes for someone. Wait I get it...you mean because they're black.

This seems like suggesting we'd be better off if we had more racism in America.

mockturtle said...

DBQ says We still eat the same thing, without collard greens because we can't find them still in Oregon and California.

Fresh ones are hard to find. I suspect a lot of people don't know how to cook them and try to prepare them as they would fresh chard or spinach. Collards need to be cooked long with fatback and plenty of seasoning.

stlcdr said...

I have a problem with ‘pointing out the problem’.

Enacting stereotypes give the opportunity for those who don’t fit the stereotype to state just that. And those that do to participate. It creates an all inclusive dialog, and a point of education.

By emphasizing that stereotypes are problematic, it gives words and actions power over someone else. It also squashes diversity.

Basically those who are ‘offended’ are stupid. Plain and simple.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

call gravy, which is composed sometimes of fat, vinegar, flour, broth, apples, salt
and pepper, and sugar, and water.


Which is exactly what my Mother would make to serve as a side with pork chops.

Slices of tart apple and onions sauteed in the pork fat and all the other ingredients added to make a 'gravy' as listed above. Heaven next to a pork roast or pork chops.

She learned it from her Arkansas Mother who learned it from HER mother in Arkansas for about 5 generations and they probably learned it from their preceding mothers from England and Scotland.

Where does food actually originate from? EVERYWHERE. Who does it belong to? EVERYONE and anyone who decides they like it.

I use salt on my Watermelon AND on my other melons like Cantaloupe and Honey Dew. Just a dash to bring out the contrast between sweet and salty. I am a heathen.

tim in vermont said...

Qutb, Borat prototype.

MadisonMan said...

BTW -- what are Professor Suing Nyu's thoughts on this?

Bob Boyd said...

To fire the 2 low-level workers is to say this is not a systemic problem but an inconsequential deviation from the norm by 2 inconsequential people."

Shit runs downhill.

TrespassersW said...

When everything is racist, nothing is.

MacMacConnell said...

It's a ticking time bomb of SJWing when this female NYU student realizes that Black men wearing trousers is a remnant of attire imposed on Blacks by Southern plantation masters. Hold on tight we still have another week of BHM.

tim in vermont said...

Bacon fat and some cut up bacon cooked with collard greens also a good thing. I prefer them to be still identifiable as a leafy vegetable when I eat them. Then again, I don't come to them from tradition, it's just that kale is not always available in Florida.
Fresh ones are always available in Florida.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

@ Tim in Vermont
Collard greens are great if you don't overcook them. I saute them with a little beer added to steam them and a little salt. If I have made some black eyed peas, I ladle some of them over the greens and it is pretty good. You just can't cook the starch out of them.

Careful. You're dangerously close to PC food crimes. Don't let anyone catch you enjoying collard greens and then washing it down with watermelon juice or anything that might be construed as fruit punch.

Ann Althouse said...

@MadisonMan

LOL. I will always LOL at the name Professor Suing Nyu.

I thought about him as I wrote this post. I wondered exactly that: What would Professor Suing Nyu think? I thought about it in the context of whether the 2 men who were fired could sue NYU.

It's so awful to take this out on the 2 workers.

Henry said...

A few questions:

* Is there anything that could have been served as a special meal for black history month that wouldn't be problematic? Admittedly the watermelon inclusion is so thoughtless as to almost seem malicious. The conflation of black history with soul food just seems gormless. I can't speak to the kool-aid.

* Do we know the race of the two staffers who were fired? Seems like an extrapolation that what the head cook said is connected to who was fired.

In any case, if you're ever in Springfield Mass, I recommend Chef Wayne's Big Mamou:

https://chefwaynes-bigmamou.com/

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

NYU fires two black men. How progressive, and white liberal.

Rick said...

Of course she’s glad they got fired. PC is all about censorship, which is all about the power to make other people do what you want.

Without firings how will your future intimidation tactics work?

Ann Althouse said...

I've seen these celebrating-ethnicity-with-food controversies before. How is the worker supposed to step up to the assigned task of honoring a particular group without seeming to stereotype them?

And why is the food associated with a group considered insulting? Well, you have to know the history of insults, but on a meta level, it's insulting to think that food associated with black people insults black people in a way that food associated with some other group does not.

If all food associated with a group insults the group, then we'll have to stop associating particular foods with particular groups.

Soon you will know better than to chatter about "eating Chinese" and so forth. It will hurt the restauranteurs, but in the future we won't care what course is served, only what discourse.

tim in vermont said...

I am going to be in Springfield this weekend, if I can work it out, I will try that place.

Tommy Duncan said...

To fire the 2 low-level workers is to say this is not a systemic problem but an inconsequential deviation from the norm by 2 inconsequential people. They're out and now we can return to our proud tradition of diversity and inclusion.

We can't be allowing deviations from diversity. Our diversity must be uniform and regimented. There are no exceptions in properly executed diversity.

Bob Boyd said...

"What would Professor Suing Nyu think?"


"If they didn't like the Black History dinner, just wait till they're served with what I'm cooking." - Prof. Suing Nyu


tim in vermont said...

Lutefish.

Ann Althouse said...

If only the fired workers had a voice, they could criticize the NYU student on the basis of class, but you need a colleague education to do critique like that. Class privilege is vigorous. Go to college, kids.

tim in vermont said...

I hope the story isn't true.

Sally327 said...

I guess she's never heard about the starving children in Africa. Oh, that might be racist. I guess she's never heard about the starving children in some sh*thole country somewhere.

Only the well-fed can afford to be offended about the food they're given to eat.



Ron Winkleheimer said...

Barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard greens

Around here black people eat that all the time. And so do us whiteys. Ribs, cornbread, (one word) and greens, collard and otherwise, are standard fair. What we are seeing here is a class issue. The complainant wants everyone to know that she is not in the same class as people who consume such fare. In fact, she wants to distance herself from them as much as possible.

Caligula said...

" On the menu? Barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard greens, and two beverages with racist connotations: Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water."

Perhaps there is something bizarre in creating a black-themed menu for Black History Month (would they put out gefilte fish and Mogen David for Holocaust Observance Day?), but, have we really reached the point where eating certain foods is "cultural appropriation" if the diner or chef is not of the appropriate ethnicity?

Fernandinande said...

Ann Althouse said...And why is the food associated with a group considered insulting?

Not "a group". Just blacks.

Seeing Red said...

Don’t honor any month in food that’s considered American.

They should have gone African.

What menu would she have suggested?

Leland said...

it's insulting to think that food associated with black people insults black people in a way that food associated with some other group does not.

Its probably this line of thinking that caused the cook to avoid serving Fried Chicken. Some how that is considered to be the racial insult litmus test when offered to POC. Never mind UK KFC's have run out of chicken to serve.

Bob Boyd said...

"If only the fired workers had a voice"

Didn't Democrats used to aspire to be that voice?

TestTube said...

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied (New American Bible, Revised Edition)

Some versions of the Bible say "Justice" instead of "righteousness", and there is a great deal in the Bible about the wickedness of injustice

Do you remember the last time that you wanted justice so badly that you "hungered and thirsted" for it? Prayed to God for it? For me, the last time was when I was a child. Since then I have certainly been treated unjustly from time to time, but I have never desired justice so strongly that I could have been described as having "hungered and thirsted" for it.

This is, I think, because I am well-educated, well-connected, and well-Blessed. Nothing of great importance has been taken unjustfully from me. I can afford to be merciful and let things go. Fired? I can find a new job that pays nearly as much, and I have a padding of financial security. I can indulge in the best revenge -- that of living well, and occasionally seeing the heels who have treated me unjustfully get theirs. (For time heals all wounds, but time also wounds all heels)

But what of the poor and oppressed? Not so much. Such a firing a manner assaults both pride and pocketbook, and not only for those who were fired. Their coworkers are reminded, in a humiliating way, how vulnerable they are, and probably must work harder to fill the gap left by the fired workers. And of course the fired workers themselves must be very upset. They may cry out to God for justice, and not only to God. The poor are often not well-served by our justice system. There are alternative channels for righting a wrong, if one is willing to pay the price of using them.

Seeing Red said...

I’m confused. We were going to make cornbread tonight.

Hale peon cornbread

But now we can’t?

Possibly jalepeno bacon cornbread as a test

MountainMan said...

I personally find the NYU menu to be pretty skimpy for a Black History Month celebration. They might also have considered fried chicken, country ham, chicken-fried steak (a Texas specialty) with cream gravy, fried catfish with hushpuppies (which include jalapeño peppers, if in Texas), turnip greens, black-eyed peas, butterbeans, fresh sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, rice, grits, hoppin' john, biscuits, and for dessert hand-churned ice cream with fresh peaches, and - yes - watermelon! Because that is what black folks in the South really eat. White folks, too.

This whole iNYU incident is just absurd.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

The Left's first move is to get you fired. That's their opening response.
Nice compassionate empathetic people like you, Professor, don't seem to understand that the Left and their Media allies view anyone who disagrees with them as enemies who deserve to be crushed. Or maybe you do understand, I dunno.
Anyway people losing their jobs because some Left-proved person deemed it necessary is so common now it's barely worth mentioning. These are your big hearted allies. Love is love, etc.

Seeing Red said...

I guess I missed the watermelon water. But that's not racist. It is just stupid. Nobody drinks watermelon water except yuppies. Go big or go home, serve the real thing, actual watermelon.



CAFFINATED watermelon water TUVM!

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Black Man Teaches How To Make Koolaid

NSFW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNQUUbEznTY

mockturtle said...

Red beans and rice
Sure taste nice!

Original Mike said...

Kool-Aid is racist now?

Amadeus 48 said...

"It's so awful to take it out on the two workers."

Amen, Althouse.

I have been mulling "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor. [I'll wait while you read it]. The Misfit, a psychopath, clearly has reflected deeply on life and has reached some moral conclusions, one of which is that the crime and the punishment don't fit. His moral code takes him and everyone else to a terrible place.

I read about this incident, and I thought that Nia Harris is in training to take the role of The Misfit here.

Seeing Red said...

Why were you terminated?

I recommended.....for Black History Month and some uppity bitch took offense.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

How problematic is this?

http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/content/Dreamlandbbq/CustomPages/locations/Birmingham.htm

Dust Bunny Queen said...


Possibly jalepeno bacon cornbread as a test

No no no....Not unless you are American Indian or Mexican (which is mostly Indian Mestizo) then you are committing cultural appropriation. What are you THINKING with your nasty White Privilege?

Corn and peppers of almost all kinds are of American North and South Indian origin and never existed in the Paleface world until the eeeeevil white people invaded, therefore you are not allowed to make cornbread. You can drink beer, whiskey, wine and scotch though...so there is that :-)

Get with the rules. Or do as I do and say F'em I'm making what I like.

William said...

I bet if they prepared some inedible African dishes, everyone would have nodded in respect to the great traditions of African cuisine and then gone to McDonald's. ........I actively seek out BBQ ribs, but my guess is that this is not a food that cafeterias should attempt. Corn bread is ok, but the stereotypical consumer of corn bread is more apt to be fat than either black or white. There will never be a mass market for collard greens. They're like chitlings. People ate them because they that was the only thing available.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

"This is what Dreamland is known for; our hickory smoked pork spare ribs! For over 50 years, we've been grilling slabs to perfection. Each of our USDA inspected slabs are carefully watched by our pit master and basted with our legendary sauce then sent to you fully cooked and frozen. Each slab package comes with a quart of our sauce and a loaf of white bread for sopping! Our ten slab package comes with 3 quarts of sauce and 2 loaves of bread. While shipping is not included, bibs, wetnaps, toothpicks and reheating instructions are in each package. When deciding how many slabs to get, keep in mind that every slab has 12 bones."

There you have it. White bread for sopping! By the way, at the restaurants they provide what is known as "roll napkins" at the table. Paper towels!

Oh, the humanity!

I'm not a big Dreamland fan by the way. I prefer Ms. Myra's.

http://www.10best.com/destinations/alabama/birmingham/cahaba-heights/restaurants/miss-myras-pit-barbecue/

Infinite Monkeys said...

"Watermelon
Hominy grits
An' shortnin' bread
Alligator ribs
Some pig tails
Some black eyed peas
Some chili
Some collard greens...."

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Rich White Progressive NYU celebrates Black History Month by firing two black men.



for... making food that is construed as racist by rich white progressives.

Fabi said...

"Possibly jalepeno bacon cornbread as a test"

Blasphemy!

YoungHegelian said...

@Dickin'Bimbos,

Careful. You're dangerously close to PC food crimes. Don't let anyone catch you enjoying collard greens and then washing it down with watermelon juice or anything that might be construed as fruit punch.

True Story: Back in the early 80's, my wife & I were shopping at the local Giant and we bought a bunch of collard greens (I love collard greens). The young woman who checked us out was black, & as she rang up the collard greens, she looked at the both of us & said:

"What do YOU do with THESE?"

I told her that we were both Southerners, & that down South, EVERYBODY eats collard greens. It's not just soul food like in the North. She seemed surprised.

Seeing Red said...

Corn and peppers of almost all kinds are of American North and South Indian origin and never existed in the Paleface world until the eeeeevil white people invaded, therefore you are not allowed to make cornbread. You can drink beer, whiskey, wine and scotch though...so there is that :-)



Then there’s Chinese.....


Bwaaaaaaa

Seeing Red said...

So if you put in watermelon water in the collard greens....

A twofer?

Freeman Hunt said...

So two black cafeteria employees selected food that they thought would be good for a Black History Month meal, and a student at the prestigious university gets them fired for choosing foods she thinks are too stereotypically black. Privilege indeed.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

You can puree the watermelon and add rum, sugar, lime juice and shake with ice. There you have just appropriated from all sorts of cultures. Enjoy your crimes palefaces :-)

Rick.T. said...

Ron Winkleheimer said...

"How problematic is this?"

I take your point about the unbearable whiteness of the crowds there. I was there back in the day before they started expanding, when it was just a shack in the middle of nowhere that was hard to find before GPS. While I appreciated that quality of the meat, it didn't appeal to me because of the heavy dose of mustard in the sauce.

CWJ said...

"No attempt was made to find out who the fired workers were or to get their perspective."

Two anomymous and faceless employees are said to have been fired. I wonder. Was anyone actually fired? I can easily imagine Aramark reacting "Tell the administration to tell the bitch we fired the person responsible. No wait, tell them we fired TWO people. That'll make this go away."

Seeing Red said...

I was at ChicagoFest umm 30? Years ago and the line at Carson’s Ribs was 4-5 deep, mostly pale faces and a couple of non-white faces were walking by and she turns to her friend and said something like if they only knew good BBQ.

I lmao I wasn’t impressed with Carson’s either.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I told her that we were both Southerners, & that down South, EVERYBODY eats collard greens. It's not just soul food like in the North. She seemed surprised.

I believe stereotypical black foods became stereotypical black foods when blacks started migrating to the north in search of jobs and took the food culture they were familiar with, the southern food culture, with them.

Bob Boyd said...

Is Weinstein Passport Dining Hall named after Harvey Weinstein? And if it isn't, shouldn't they remove the name anyway because it's offensive?

MadisonMan said...

BTW Professor: The original Professor Suing Nyu post needs an NYU tag!

BudBrown said...

The watermelon history thing has puzzled me my whole life. Watermelon was ubiquitous in Tampa in the 50's and 60's. Everybody liked it. Get older and realize there's this negative association with blacks and watermelon. And come across the cartoons and postcards and what not depicting blacks and watermelons in a negative light. They could be pretty crude and rude.Then learn that watermelon was indigenous to Africa and enters the American cuisine thru the slaves. With the progress of civil rights you'd think you can now celebrate the watermelon's heritage. I mean what white kids associate blacks and watermelon, positive or negative? For that matter what black kids make such associations? Racism digs in and holds tight but you'd think the watermelon would be one of the first things passing into mainstream. My beef is with the seedless watermelons. And some parent explaining to you as you're holding the big ol watermelon you brought to the party that the kids don't like the seeds. Don't like the seeds? Whole generations growing up with no clue how to spit or flick seeds in a watermelon seed fight.

Beach Brutus said...

It's all Southern food; blacks call it soul food and whites call it country cookin, but it's the same stuff.

It seems all that Mz. Harris likely accomplished is the creation of two new black conservatives.

Wilbur said...

I told a black man I met that I make great collard greens, with a recipe I got from my second wife. He narrowed his eyes and asked me "What meat you season it with?" I replied that of course I use boiled up smoked turkey wings for that. He nodded approval and said "Yeah, you got it down".

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I really love that she is glad they were fired. The total and complete lack of compassion and empathy is truly astounding. Chances are good the workers have kids to feed. But hey, they inadvertently made her feel insecure regarding her place in the class hierarchy, so f*ck em.

Rusty said...

They must have been crappy ribs.

TestTube said...

CWJ

We do not have those two workers names. The NYT didn't think we needed to know the names. Maybe the NYT doesn't even have the names. I wonder.

We don't know the names of the North Korean Cheerleaders, either. Someone decided we didn't need to know the names.

Maybe that is the ultimate class distinction: People whose names we know and people whose names we do not know. By controlling whether you know someone's name, you can control how much we can care about them, or how much we can interact with them, or even how we think about them.

Wilbur said...

I may be the only person I've ever heard of who dislikes cornbread. But I do.

BudBrown said...

One thing collards do is make ham taste even better.

Rick said...

The complainant wants everyone to know that she is not in the same class as people who consume such fare.

I don't think so. She's climbing the activist hierarchy and needs an issue. That the underlying activity actually be racist isn't particularly relevant to her goals. In fact it's often better if it isn't racist. Everyone opposes actual racism so opposing non-racism with the same zeal demonstrates a higher level of commitment.

tcrosse said...

If only the fired workers had a voice

Many, but not all Aramark employees are unionized. Somehow I doubt these two were actually fired for such a chickenshit reason.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I replied that of course I use boiled up smoked turkey wings for that. He nodded approval and said "Yeah, you got it down".

They once tried to have a vegetarian potluck at my church. I have no idea if they managed to do so, because I wasn't going to attend. At the announcement the pastor stressed that if you put meat into a vegetable dish to flavor it it isn't vegetarian.

Bob Boyd said...

Hey! Maybe NYU should offer to provide free racial sensitivity training to the black workers at Aramark. And if the 2 fired workers successfully complete the course they can come back and get a second chance at pleasing their betters.

Michael said...

I was at a conference of African American real estate investors and met a guy from NY who lived in Harlem. We got to talking about the Red Rooster, a restaurant he lived a block or so from. I told him I had eaten there recently and that they put gravy on the fried chicken which I thought a crime. He agreed that fried chicken should be served sans gravy and I promised to take him to a real fried chicken place the next time he came through my town. A few weeks later I got an email from who I thought was him saying he was coming to Atlanta and could I have lunch with him. I said absolutely and that I would pick out the fried chicken place. Turns out this was a different guy I had met at the conference with the same first name. Cringe. All you can do is laugh and laugh he did when I told him the mix up and that I did not always take my black friends and colleagues to fried chicken places. Funny that people who live and work in the real world have a sense of humor and are not constantly looking for things to be affronted by.

CWJ said...

TestTube,

Yes, that may all be true, but was anybody actually fired? My point is not the anonymity, but that the outrage only requires the statement that people have been fired. In this case, anonymity, combined with a convenient lack of curiousity, may be merely a tool to allow everyone involved to keep on working with no one the wiser.

Leland said...

My beef is with the seedless watermelons.

Whole generation of kids are missing out on messing with younger kids by telling them "if you eat the seed, a watermelon will grow inside you." All the fun has been taken out. That's why watermelon water is even worse! No seeds at all!

Bob Boyd said...

Next time serve huevos rancheros.

Michael said...

I lived in the Bay area back in the 80s and found it impossible to find collards or pork shoulder with the skin on. The latter, I believe, was illegal. Even in the "ghetto" of East Palo Alto you could not locate those delicious foods except right around New Years.

Wilbur said...

Michael said
Funny that people who live and work in the real world have a sense of humor and are not constantly looking for things to be affronted by.
________________________________________________________________________
That is a great story.

Sam L. said...

The HORROR!! The horror...

TestTube said...

CWJ,

You make a good point.

There was a notable lack of curiosity by the NYT reporter who wrote the article. A little digging would have produced a much more informative article.

And it can be a good thing when your name is not known.

I heard that at one time in Europe, prestigious and fashionable men would carry and occasionally wear masks, Not to escape actual recognition, but to signal others of their class of a wish, at that time, for privacy and anonymity. This facade was mutually respected by mask wearer and viewer.

Wilbur said...

I regard seedless watermelon as one of mankind's great advances, like non-stick aluminum foil.

gspencer said...

Com'n, it wasn't chitlins & jowls, and fried chicken, along with a slice of watermelon on the side.

Watermelon flavored water?

Do you see what we AA blacks have to put up with? Just like 1841, Beaufort County.

Tommy Duncan said...

We need a thread on cultural appropriation to answer a few questions:

(1) What is cultural appropriation ("CA")? Can someone define it?

Is it CA when a white guy buys frozen egg roll or watermelon at the supermarket? Is it CA when a white kid dresses up like a ninja warrior or like the black panther?

(2) Why is CA wrong? Isn't it a compliment to be imitated?

(3) Isn't CA entirely in the eyes of the beholder? Isn't this is a case of choosing to be offended or choosing to be flattered?

(4) Under what circumstances should I care about when someone chooses to be offended?

I'm lost...

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ken in tx said...

In the 80s, at a small US air base in Korea, the Black Airman's group was asked how they thought the base should honor and celebrate MLK day. They voted for a fashion show in the All-Ranks Club. If a white person had suggested this, it would have been considered stereotyping and racist. Since then, I have heard of some North Carolina cities having a Lady's Church Hat Parade on MLK day.

BTW, I have always associated watermelon with summer picnics, never with black people.

Birkel said...

The question for Left-leaners like Althouse, who largely cheered as we approached the slope:

How slippery is the slope?
How steep is the slope?
Are there logical off-ramps as we head down?
Will we be going too fast to exit?

Will you appreciate the view when we reach the bottom?

Beach Brutus said...

Re Test Tube at 9:53 - "Maybe that is the ultimate class distinction: People whose names we know and people whose names we do not know. By controlling whether you know someone's name, you can control how much we can care about them, or how much we can interact with them, or even how we think about them."

Maybe this is a corollary to Stalin's point that murdering ten people is a tragedy but murdering a million is just a statistic. Just more eggs for the progressive omelet.

mockturtle said...

My black second husband, born and raised in Texas, didn't cook much but his parents did. His father's BBQ was so hot it made my hair stand on end but so good I had to keep eating it. From his mother I learned to bake cornbread in a cast iron skillet to make a nice crust, making it easier to eat. The chitlins I left alone.

mockturtle said...

And 'hot sauce' on everything. This usually meant red pepper sauce.

Bay Area Guy said...

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Week at NYU! !Hola!

-- Mi casa es su casa!

-- Games, workshops, programs! Racial Sensitivity training seminars!

-- Featured speakers: Cesar Chavez the Third and Ricky Martin!

-- Musical dance-off with Mariachi Band, Paco and the Pinadas!

-- Free food! Lunch items include: Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas and homemade chile rellanos!

-- Free Voter Registration booth! If you're from Puerto Rico, you're an American too!

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

"So those 2 guys got fired, which can't be what Nia Harris wanted, can it?"

Of course not. She wanted to get WHITE guys fired. Oh well, SOMETHING had to be done. You can't let colleges get away with serving, or not serving, Black-themed food during Black History Month.

Srsly nigras nede a git ovah thayselvs.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

It's BLACK HSTORY MONTH, for cripe's sake. We should all be eating live fish and squid.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

"But she added that, while she was glad they had been fired, it should not have been her responsibility to point out the problem — one that she said went far beyond a single incident."

What other choices were available?

Jon said...

You know, I have lived for 75 years of yummy White privilege as a New York (formerly) Jew, and this post has inspired me to write a book about this and similar items in the news... I will, of course, have to self-publish (for obvious reasons), but this has inspired me to make a leap of faith in my fellow citizens (including non-citizen non-legal residents, of course).

I will call it

Profiles in Stupid

Seeing Red said...

I like yellow bells.

At The Yardbird in The Venetian, I ate I think pickled watermelon with cheese on top as an appetizer.

They also flavor their watermelon with something, I thought they were trying too hard.

But cold crisp watermelon in January was a treat!

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

"But she added that, while she was glad they had been fired, it should not have been her responsibility to point out the problem — one that she said went far beyond a single incident."

Clearly the person who made her responsible is also at fault here. Supervisory error.

Yancey Ward said...

Testtube wrote:

"No attempt was made to find out who the fired workers were or to get their perspective."

That no attempt was apparently made tells us a lot about the fired workers. Do you really believe that if they were white they would not have been doxxed in this story?

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

"Do you really believe that if they were white they would not have been doxxed in this story?"

It wouldn't surprise me if they found two white workers to blame, and fire, for letting Blacks serve Kool Aid.

Earnest Prole said...

The problem was not how Americans treated Qutb; the problem was that Qutb was a forty-year-old virgin so sexually repressed that a 1949 American square dance in the basement of a church in Greeley, Colorado, turned him into a horndog:

"They danced to the tunes of the gramophone, and the dance floor was replete with tapping feet, enticing legs, arms wrapped around waists, lips pressed to lips, and chests pressed to chests. The atmosphere was full of desire . . . “

"The American girl is well acquainted with her body's seductive capacity. She knows it lies in the face, and in expressive eyes, and thirsty lips. She knows seductiveness lies in the round breasts, the full buttocks, and in the shapely thighs, sleek legs — and she shows all this and does not hide it."

More at Sayyid Qutb's America: Al Qaeda Inspiration Denounced U.S. Greed, Sexuality, from NPR.

Seeing Red said...

3 pounds seedless watermelon (about 1 small or 1/4 large), rind removed, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 pounds/1kg chunks after rind is discarded)

1 tablespoon (15ml) juice from 1 lemon, plus 4 (2-inch) strips zest, removed with a sharp vegetable peeler

3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/4 cup (10g) roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

Up to 4 ounces (1 quart) arugula leaves (optional; see note)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces (110g) feta cheese (see

Gahrie said...

How nice we were to him!

And he responded with cruelty.

GRW3 said...

For most of the last five decades, I've wondered about the source of the concept of "soul food". It was presented as some uniquely (negro, black, African-American - varied over the decades) ethnic menu. Yet, I grew up with all of those same foods served by my Scots-Irish mom, who grew up in the sticks of East Texas. I got the same foods from her extended family when we'd visit. A church homecoming in that same rural area would produce tables full of the same cuisine. Friends from other parts of the south have remarked about the same thing.

It finally dawned on me this ethnic association must have been made by northern civil rights activists who visited and stayed with the people they were supporting. They didn't really get to know any white southerners, and just assumed the local whites ate the same bland, flavorless foods as do northern whites.

Shame on anyone who thinks being served fine food like this is racist. They don't deserve good taste.

Bay Area Guy said...

On purely epicurean grounds, I do love southern cooking. This includes:

Collard greens
black eyed-peas
grits
watermelon
ribs
sweet potato pie

Not a big fan of Kool-Aid though. Too sugary.

Mark said...

True BBQ ribs I doubt they would serve since they take so long to cook.
Braised short ribs, however, I can see because they are easy to prepare for big crowds and also keep for a long time in a serving pan.

Roy Lofquist said...

"tcrosse said...
Instead they got take-out from Popeye's."

It's not Popeye's, it's Popeyes. The founder said he was so poor he couldn't afford an apostrophe.

Jupiter said...

I was wondering just exactly how fat and ugly this Hellsow Nia Harris is, so I googled Nia Harris NYU. Three pictures of watermelons. So she's actually a green, prolate spheroid.

It turns out that she has numerous published articles, at http://affinitymagazine.us/author/niaharris20/ . She is the author of "My Friends Are In Relationships But I’m Happily Single", "What It Feels Like To Finally Move On", "I Will Never Understand Black Men Who Don’t Like Black Women", "Detangling Kendrick Lamar’s Role In The Light Skin/Dark Skin Woman Debate" and "An Open Letter To The People Who Say Negative Things About Chicago".

And yes, she is fat, and yes, she is ugly. I hope this crime hangs around her neck for the rest of her life.

YoungHegelian said...

Strangely enough, even though I grew up in northern Alabama, the Southern standards rarely showed up on the family dinner table. My father was born & raised in Huntsville, AL during the depression. His family worked in the textile mills there. He grew up poor & in a not-too-pleasant family. His standard of living increased when he joined the Army in WWII.

For him, many of the Southern standards weren't comfort food, they were souvenirs of where he came from & never wanted to go back to again. He married my upper-crust French mother (it's along story...), & made sure that what showed up on the table reflected his "made it now" status.

He thought the fact that my comfortably paid, educated, & suburban wife & I voluntarily would go pick berries in the summer was a real hoot. It's different when you do it for a hobby than when you got paid 10 cents an hour to pick fruit in an Alabama summer. Nevertheless, there was no visiting gift he loved more from us than my wife's strawberry preserves made from those same "hobby" berries.

ga6 said...

well I am old enough to remember when a whole bunch of black people drank the Kool-Aid; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones

Barry Dauphin said...

Qutb sounds like one of the Festrunk brothers-- the two Wild and Crazy guys who like foxes with big American breasts.

Rick said...

It finally dawned on me this ethnic association must have been made by northern civil rights activists who visited and stayed with the people they were supporting. They didn't really get to know any white southerners, and just assumed the local whites ate the same bland, flavorless foods as do northern whites.

The association wasn't made by civil rights era whites visiting the south. It was made by northern whites noticing changes in grocery and restaurant offerings after the great industrial migration brought so many blacks north. It never occurred to them that southern whites ate similar foods.

cubanbob said...

In a just world the two fired (presumably black) workers would be able to find a killer lawyer to sue the University and the student for some serious money for pressuring their employer for wrongful termination etc. The depositions would be a joy to read.

Other than vegetarians who doesn't like fried chicken? Or cornbread, both types, Southern and Yankee? Or a slice of cold watermelon especially on a hot day? There some seriously deranged people in this country.

Marcus said...

I have experimented with collard greens and enjoy them with salt pork, vinegar, water, oil, a whole, peeled onion to flavor the stock and some sugar. I try to mop up the "pot likker" with my cornbread but it tends to crumble.

As an aside (or a side dish): In mid-January one year at the local Publix grocery, I heard a woman question the bakery personnel as to "what is that King Cake thing?". The young person, not aware of the tradition, guessed it had something to do with MLK Jr.'s birthday.

YoungHegelian said...

@Marcus,

"what is that King Cake thing?". The young person, not aware of the tradition, guessed it had something to do with MLK Jr.'s birthday.

The French half of me was just appalled to read that.

Michael said...

cubanbob
"There some seriously deranged people in this country."

Including but not limited to the jackass president of NYU

mockturtle said...

The association wasn't made by civil rights era whites visiting the south. It was made by northern whites noticing changes in grocery and restaurant offerings after the great industrial migration brought so many blacks north. It never occurred to them that southern whites ate similar foods.

Many whites fled Appalachia to work in factories north. Some very sad novels written about them.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

What the hell is wrong with watermelon and kool aid? It's not a black thing, it's a southern thing. And a working class thing. What a snob!

And getting those men fired! I'm amazed at how many people think it's ok to threaten lower class people's livelihood just to show who's boss. What a jerk.

Dr Weevil said...

Here's another example of a food - or rather an ingredient - crossing ethnic lines. My lower-middle-class German-American Midwestern mother, who would be 90 if she were still alive, and her mother before her, always maintained that a good apple pie requires (a) Jonathan apples, (b) lard in the crust, and (c) a pastry cloth and rolling-pin sleeve. They're right: following these rules, I make better apple pie than 99% of the population.

For a couple of decades ('70s and '80s, I think) my mother had to drive to black or Hispanic neighborhoods to buy lard because stores in white neighborhoods didn't sell the stuff. It's now found in most grocery stores, though often tucked away where it's hard to find. I don't know if it's easier to find now because of the retro-food movement, or because Hispanics are found in substantial numbers in a lot more neighborhoods these days, or a bit of each.

tcrosse said...

Let's see how Ms Harris likes next year's Lutefisk and boiled potatoes.

Unknown said...

Quit crying !! I am not a racist, but do we have a white history month? It"s time to stop.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

I never understood why it is racist and offensive to say blacks like fried chicken and watermelon. Just about everyone likes fried chicken and watermelon. It's like saying Italians like pasta. Yeah, and so what?

Maybe about once a year I get a hankering for some Popeye's chicken and biscuits. Whenever I've been in one, most of the people standing in line with me have been black.

Jim at said...

If everything is racist, nothing is.

Next.

David-2 said...

When I was in college on the cafeteria meal plan, we went into the cafeteria one fine St Patricks day and green stuff came out of the orange juice dispenser! The cafeteria staff had colored the orange juice green!

This is not a comment wherein I register my outrage at that hurtful display of cultural appropriation.

I'm just asking you to consider: Do you have any idea how much green food coloring you have to dump into orange juice to get it to be actually green?

eddie willers said...

"Watermelon
Hominy grits
An' shortnin' bread...


Actual cheer from 1968 Lakeside High School, DeKalb Co. Georgia:

Watermelon, watermelon
Watermelon rind.

Look on the scoreboard
And see who's behind

YOU!!!

langford peel said...

This is so typical it should be enshrined as example number one as why President Trump was elected.

Entitled elitist liberal is offended and gets a couple working men fired because of her delicate sensibilities. The corporate cucks bow down to this nonsense instead of telling her to piss up a rope.

This is how you get more Trump.

Real American said...

Trump should get those two fired employees jobs at Trump Tower.

Unknown said...

as a lawyer, Ann you should know that Partus law makes you know who white

langford peel said...

That would be awesome.

Better yet at Mar Largo.

Or have some corporation that wants to curry favor with him to hire them. You know. You hire them and you get the vending machine concession in front of Jerome Waddler's office.

John Smith said...

Is it ok to serve rice for Chinese New Year's?

Unknown said...

Is there anything more dangerous to human happiness than a college student hell-bent on being offended?

autothreads said...

What would happen if Muslim students demanded halal food?

What would happen if Jewish students demanded kosher food?

Anonymous said...

The unanswered question ... what do you serve to celebrate Black History Month ?

Perhaps, an 'empty plate' to commemorate what the chattel received in the 'slave ships'

Anonymous said...

The unanswered question ... what do you serve to celebrate Black History Month ?

Perhaps, an 'empty plate' to commemorate what the chattel received in the 'slave ships'

Iceman said...

I just had to laugh at so many of the comments to this story. In fact, I was crying they were so funny.

When I was growing up, my family lived and owned a corner store in a black neighborhood. For every summer holiday, we drove to Oklahoma (from Texas) and hauled as many watermelons as we could get in the truck. We bought Hog Maws, Hot Links, and Chitterlings. We sold out every time. Why is that such a negative stereotype? Fried Chicken and Greens are just as southern as they are black. This country is becoming completely insane at the level of offense people take to the true reality of everyday life. I'm just too old to understand.

Marc in Eugene said...

There are all sorts of food I've eaten over the years but the only one I'd never eat again (and you can tell me until you're blue in the face that the dish I ate wasn't prepared properly etc etc) would be chitterlings, chitlins. Gosh.

Gretchen said...

I heard an interview on the radio on a restaurant review show the other day. The owner of the Soul Food restaurant is black. She said "Red Drink" is her biggest seller for beverages, and said it is Kool Aid. Fried chicken and cornbread were her signature dishes.

Why is this all considered racist? Fried Chicken, cornbread and watermelon are delicious. Most people like them. Do we see Italians complaining when spaghetti and meatballs are served at Italian night?

Does the student have a better idea?

This reminds me of a story a friend told me. Her kids went to a snotty private school. The school hired a diversity officer who was seen reprimanding the Mexican lunch supervisor over her Sombrero and Serape Mexican day decorations. He was telling her they were culturally insensitive. She was in tears. Sigh.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Marc said...
There are all sorts of food I've eaten over the years but the only one I'd never eat again (and you can tell me until you're blue in the face that the dish I ate wasn't prepared properly etc etc) would be chitterlings, chitlins. Gosh."

I said yesterday in the comments here that that was the worst thing I have ever eaten in my life.

Chitlins taste like shit dipped in vinegar.

MB said...

"I wonder what the student thinks should have been served".

My hunch is that she would definitely approve of your asking this question. The problem is that she wasn't asked, not that something particularly offensive was served. She could find something offensive about each and every possible menu choice. Probably they assign this as an exercise in some ethnic studies course she's taking (and call it social criticism).

The ideal outcome is that NYU or Aramark forms a committee to study non-racist menu choices and undertakes a study of the issue, while paying a consulting fee to her or to someone like her for their opinion. Then, if other people complain, they're the racists.

It's a protection racket, in other words.

Earnest Prole said...

I can assure you from countless Oakland barbecue runs that black folk absolutely love ribs, corn bread, and collard greens; the NYU problem is that they are the wrong class of blacks.

Bay Area Guy said...

What would happen if Muslim students demanded halal food?

Come Celebrate Muslim Heritage Week at NYU! Salaam-Alaikum, Friends!

-- Games, workshops, programs! Zionist Sensitivity training seminars!

-- Featured speakers: Tony Shalhoub and Hanan Ashrawri!

--- Pin the tail on the Robert Spencer!

-- Musical dance-off with Arabic Sitar Band!

-- Free food! Lunch items include: Falafel, hummus, goat milk, more hummus and lamb kebab!

-- Free Voter Registration booth! If you're from 1 of 6 mostly Muslim countries, you may be eligible to join our class action lawsuit against Trump!

Phil B said...

Let's see, toxic dining hall food that indulges in oppressive stereotyping:

carnitas and refried beans
fried chicken
fried catfish
ribs
General Tso's chicken
corned beef and cabbage
Hungarian goulash
borscht
etc.

I guess the only safe food is soylent green.

mockturtle said...

-- Featured speakers: Tony Shalhoub and Hanan Ashrawri!

Don't forget Linda Sarsour!

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