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?uestlove cries NBC cafeteria racism
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
?uestlove cries NBC cafeteria racism
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| Questlove on TwitPic |
Cafeterias have been getting lots of wack press lately. First the Inky's Craig LaBan finds a big-ass hair in the cheesesteak he orders at the already-health-code-violation-beleaguered Capitol Café in Harrisburg. Now ?uestlove, Roots Crew icon, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandmember and unapologetic Overtweeter, shares this pic of a Black History Month special in the NBC employee eatery, accompanied by the caption "Hmm HR?"
So is this racist? It's definitely the safe play to say yes, but peruse the comments section on Vulture, or on the TwitPic itself, for some alternate takes. Seems like a lot of people feel that labeling this whole deal insensitive is a knee-jerk overreaction. We've compiled a few of our favorite comments after the jump. One or two of them are notably insightful and the rest of them are pretty much just funny/true.
I don't know about the rest of ya'll FOOLS, but I eat that on the regular. And for the record the look of hurt on the BLACK chef's face when she was told that BLACK people were offended by her idea is really sad.
Um, it's not the soul food. It's the "in honor of Black History Month" part that's racist. Kind of like saying, in honor of Lunar New Year, we're going to give all Asian people driving lessons.
Racism aside, that is a lot of food for 7.50
I am going to make a huge issue with HR when our cafeteria does the corned beef/cabbage/sourdough bread combo for St. Patrick's Day. What, just because I'm Irish I eat corned beef and potatoes all the time and that's how you label me? Not to speak of the leprechauns and other such nonsense that patronizes our culture and reduces us to boorish alcoholic stereotypes who like listening to fiddles and causing fights. Outrage!
post-racial menu quandry of the day: do you eat the fried chicken even if it is racist?
Soul Food's not complete without a side of heart attack inducing Mac & Cheese. Sayin.
What did he want, Beef Wellington? Salt cod? Sushi? Whale blubber? Okay, that's over the top. But this menu is really Southern, which of course has a lot to do with black history in the US. A wider representation of Black culinary history could have included African influences, as well as Caribbean/Creole influences. I wonder if the NBC cafeteria has done other menus for Black History Month and we're only discussing one day's fare? I don't want to get to a point we're only safe if we celebrate ethnic and cultural diversity without really sharing, tasting, touching, feeling any of it.
Now I usually prefer my greens made with smoked hamhock. When I said that I was making them for a work Xmas party one of my coworkers rolled her eyes. But I was mentored in the making of greens by the late lamented George West (we'll not see his like again)and once served up, my disgruntled coworker just quietly mumbled: and they got the nerve to be good, too. Now my neighbor and her sisters make them both ways. Makes me look forward to Labor day. Oh yeah and then there's ribs 'n BBQ.
RSR--yes, exactly. A wider representation of black foods, ones that weren't the direct result of slavery and jim crow would be significantly better as a representation. It isn't "racist", but it was shortsighted and feeds into a depiction of black culture that is myopic and has an ugly, ugly history.
Agreed with rory, except to say that it is racist, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's wrong. The term "racist", if divorced from its emotional and moral implications, simply means determined by race. So yes, I think it is racist, though not necessarily evil, but definitely myopic and too narrow.
I live in Alabama and what's the big deal? We all eat meals like this all the time. Come on down. Nothing racist, only great good for all!
from questlove's twitter the final word on soulfoodgate by ?uestlove. in the past 3 days a twitpic went from being a funny observation to a national issue. every blogger and his mom weighed in on the issue. in the beginning it seemed harmless enough. but with nbc office employees weighing their two cents in without all the facts and the little bit of hate mail i been getting from uninformed individuals i decided to put this baby to bed with a final statement. when i saw the sign i have to admit....i was DYING. like literally LMAO!!! maybe it was juxtaposition of the words: collard & history, jalapeno & honor, fried, black and nbc?? maybe it was the acculturative stress of having 28 days for this food that represents you but come march…pot roast for life kid! whatever the case, I found this funny and when I find something funny I like to let the world in on the joke (twitpic anyone??). in NO way did i ever think that this was some cruel insensitive joke on behalf of jeff zucker and his comrades at nbc (the cafeteria isn't even owned or operated by nbc). I kinda get where leslie calhoun (our culinary rosa parks) was coming from; fried chicken as a fragrant, tasty, honorable metaphor for the struggles and accomplishments of america's black masses. The problem is..in the blogosphere, things can take on a life of their own. “online journalists", site commenters, even comedians (see wanda sykes on leno) have now taken my snapshot of leslie's missionary zeal and retooled it for their own racialized - "let's bash nbc for their conan sins" - flogging mission. my twitpic was just me poking fun, a Questlove still life that was clearly intended as a joke. what's even funnier: race issues in post racial america. potluck anyone?????
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