Do you ever wonder why black people are always commenting on what white people eat? Not just wondering, but actively criticizing? Apparently, this has been a thing for many years now. I wasn't aware until fairly recently, after coming across comments in various places claiming that "white people don't season their food".
Ridiculous, I know, but there are fools out there who believe it. Mostly, this idea seems to be used as a way to disparage white people. Many who admit the idea is racist will try and "soften" that by stating it's "really just white Americans", as though that's less of an insult. The entire premise is flat out stupid, and some of the arguments made in support of it are beyond illogical, historically unsupported, and often just lame.
So, the purpose of today's blog is to discuss this idea, break down the facts, and share some of the most ridiculous claims, as well as to address the racism threaded through most of the discussions. If you're of the "politically correct" mindset, and/or think that there can be no racism from non-whites, you might be in the wrong place. You're welcome to stay and discuss if you like, but be warned; snappy dismissals with no real content aren't going to do well, and rudeness isn't tolerated here. Disagreement, sure, but state an actual reason.
Anyway, here we go, and apologies for the length, because this one is going to be detailed and lengthy.
I believe the first place I saw something about this was in a YouTube comment. I thought it was a bit weird and stupid, but shrugged it off. Then I saw it again, and again, quite often in various discussions online, so I decided to look into the issue and figure out why this seemed to be a "thing". Most of the comments seem to be posted by blacks, with the idea that white people only eat the plainest of foods, can't cook, and so forth.
I then located an article claiming that this was true, and the reason was, supposedly, that rich people in Europe decided seasonings were bad when they became more affordable, because even the "common people" could buy them. Yes, this was illogical from the start. It took a bit of searching, but I finally located information on the origin of this idea; a professor at NYU named Krishnendu Ray, Indian fellow, who apparently thinks that not seasoning the same way as people in India means not seasoning at all. The idea is stupid anyway, because even if very wealthy people decided not to season their food (no evidence for that), more people were not wealthy, and were seasoning their food all the time. These were the people, for the most part, who left Europe to settle in America, bringing their seasoning habits with them.
I really loathe revisionist "history".
I also am not fond of those who resort to that and other nonsense to put on some false air of superiority, combined with putting down those they envy. Yes, I said it.
Along with such illogical assumptions, we have, of course, the racist nonsense. Some attempt to cover up their bias, as in this case:
There, the author tosses in some claims about her childhood, to play on emotions, then proceeds to reveal her own very strong animosity toward the entire white race. Sadly, many people seem to fall for it, though based on comment votes, most see her for the fraud she is. If you don't want to read it all (and who could blame you?), here are some highlights:
Every weekend we would take the number six bus to the westside market. My mother would drag me, hand clutched firmly in her larger, rougher one, from stall to stall, judiciously selecting only the freshest corn, the ripest melons, and the best cuts of meat.
When I was younger, before I knew what those colorful strips of paper really were, before I was old enough to notice the way cashiers looked at my mother differently when she presented them, I thought she was paying for our food with Monopoly money. I never worried that we would run out of food because Mommy got more Monopoly money at the beginning of every month. Food scarcity was not a specter of my childhood.
Looking back on it now, I see that my mother was always teaching me how to cook. Our trips to the market, the shiny, glossy Bon Apetit and Epicurious magazines she sometimes bought, sometimes borrowed from the library, her careful curation of spices, with the more expensive saffron, rich Indian cinnamon, and real Madagascar vanilla safely tucked away on the top shelf, seemingly forever out of reach — all of it was a cooking class with a Black hermeneutic.
Note, please, the sections highlighted in red. The author is actually bragging about her mother "buying" the best meats and most expensive spices while on food stamps. Entitlement, anyone?
That's not the worst part, though.
Once we had a white church member volunteer to help the Black History Month Committee prepare for our annual Soul Food Potluck. “I want to learn how to cook soul food from the African-Americans!” she said brightly.
We took her at her word. We created a Black culinary experience by assigning her menial tasks that were hard to screw up — chopping vegetables, grating cheese, creaming butter and sugar, etc. After about two hours, she said: “This isn’t fun! I thought I was going to learn to make macaroni and cheese!” An hour after that, she left. She never did learn anything
Note that there was no effort made to show this woman the slightest bit of respect. Instead, she was treated like a slave, told to do whatever she was told, and treated like an idiot or a child. Perhaps the author was miffed that the woman was capable of learning a simple recipe in a single lesson, instead of over many years, as the author claims she learned.
The lady from my church, like many white people, wanted to be able to lead without learning how to follow. She will never learn how I make mac and cheese because she won’t return to the kitchen, again and again, do whatever is asked of her, stay quiet, stay patient, and learn. She will never be a good ally for the same reasons.
In simple terms, the author and others there treated her like a slave, as previously mentioned, and then act all smug when she walks off. As for not being "a good ally", who wants to be the ally of someone who hates them? The author herself is no ally to anyone who doesn't share her race, and she's not alone in that.
The really amusing thing about her little piece is that the dish she mentions is macaroni and cheese. Before tripping over her nonsense, I located many claims that "white people" can't taste seasonings, and some used as an example dish, mac and cheese. Supposedly if we eat it, it's tasteless and dull, but if a black person eats it, it's haute cuisine. I even located this:
I do love how the person who reposted and commented on the meme slammed those spreading it, but was stunned that apparently many blacks seem to think that's an accurate representation. Then that author used such a dish to claim some sort of superiority. That fellow is right; the 4chan poster is a genius.
There is a lot more of this nonsense online:
Shit White People Eat - Seems to be a collection of (supposedly) icky foods that someone collected and decided were "white people food", and most don't even look bad.
This thread was started to complain about the trend, but contains some seriously racist crap, such as"
Idk, the only Wypipo who had decent lunches when I was growing up were those who had moms from Europe or Wops in general. My own mom would always have some kind of deli meat sandwich made with love, and I'd always give the brown lunch bag to the WASP kids so they could lick the grease stains off the bottom like the Caker motherless fgts that they were.That first term, in case you haven't heard/seen it, is stated to be a derogatory term that "sounds like" "white people". I suppose if one is illiterate and can't speak properly, they might think the two sound the same, but no educated intelligent person would think so.
Then we have the blatantly racist terms used.
Finally, for that one, is the comment on the supposedly superior food his mother packed - a lunchmeat sandwich, so bad that "grease stains" were left in his lunch bag. Color me envious....NOT.
Lest you think that this isn't deliberate racism, think again:
Top 10 Ways Black People Keep Racism Alive, According to Wypipo
This moron actually believes that being racist is his duty, and while being racist, tries to claim it's all "white people" causing the problem.
Because I am always open to sharing the wisdom of white America, I wanted to combine the practices that tartar-saucians often describe as “race-baiting” into one top 10 countdown for those who are interested in keeping racism alive.
Virtually everything he says to refute the items he lists is utter BS, of course. He pretends, for example, that Affirmative Action only awards people who would without it merit the job, scholarship, whatever, without noting that lowered standards are used for blacks than for other applicants.
Why am I discussing that racist, you ask? He's an example of how many blacks act, in using anything and everything to not only claim to be victims, but to insult other races and claim it's not actual racism.
Moving on, let's talk about supposed "black food". Some articles claim that all of the good Southern cooking is a direct result of slaves cooking back in the day. Never mind that most people didn't own slaves, and cooked their own meals, never mind that slaves who did cook were taught to prepare preferred dishes, and never mind that most of the dishes eaten were certainly not invented by slaves. No, let's disregard all that, and pretend that blacks did everything good, in spite of the entire world of "evil white people" (an actual global minority) being set against them.
I will credit black-eyed peas as being from Africa, but what most call "yams" are not. There is a food eaten in Africa called a yam, but it isn't the same as a sweet potato, which is what is enjoyed here. They're similar, but not the same. That slaves may have enjoyed them as something familiar doesn't mean they can take credit for all sweet potato dishes. Some claim cornbread is a "slave dish", when people were eating that and other corn dishes before there were slaves here. Talk about cultural appropriation!
If you look up what is called "soul food", it's basically bland dishes with too much fat, too much salt, and a lot of added sugar. Hardly what I'd call "rich in flavor" of "properly seasoned"! Many black sites and others catering to the trend even claim blacks don't want to eat healthy because healthy choices are "white". How self destructive.
For a reference to "soul food", from a source no one could call right wing:
Almost none of this is actually African (aforementioned black-eyed peas being the exception), and the article even admits that the cooking styles were often European or 'Native American". More cultural appropriation from the people screaming that others do it. Fried chicken is Scottish, so any African Americans demanding an end to cultural appropriation can stop eating it right now. Grits were food the American Indians ate.
If black people are such great cooks, and have so much better taste in food, why is this opinion so common?
Why do black people almost always order their steaks well done (or at least medium well)?
I've seen that all over the place online. Also, why, if they're so much better at cooking than white people, does this video exist? Note, this is two black women making the video.
One commenter online stated something quite accurate, I believe, which echoed my own thoughts. Properly seasoning one's cooking doesn't mean dumping on everything in the spice cabinet. I tend to agree, and suspect that some claim food isn't "seasoned properly" if it isn't overly seasoned. Perhaps some of these foolish folks can't taste anything, so they overdo their "seasoning" and call everything else "bland".
In reality white people can and do use seasonings. We enjoy subtle flavors and bold ones. Not preferring some specific type of seasoning doesn't mean a person "can't taste" anything, as that one racist claimed, or that the person doesn't like or use any seasoning at all. That's just stupid.
White people explored the entire world, and much of that was in the quest for spices from other lands. To claim they'd do this while not wanting to spice their foods or even taste spices is just stupid. STUPID. Maybe we should have a discussion about IQ next.
This is just another BS ploy to belittle an entire race, and to try and appropriate things that race created. That, and perhaps some jealousy. As an example of that, some claim that cheese is "bad" food, and white people only eat it because they have no taste. Seems like jealousy to me, since many non-whites are lactose intolerant, and can't enjoy all of that yummy cheese. Nothing but sour grapes.
For some real information on spices and their uses by people of ALL colors:
Again, sorry for the length, but this topic needs addressing. Please share, and don't apologize or make excuses for people spreading manure of this sort.
LGE
