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Showing Original Post only (View all)Oberlin College's Food and Cultural Appropriation [View all]
Last week, students at Oberlin made national headlines for casting complaints about bad dining-hall fooda perennial lament of collegiansas a problematic social-justice failure. Word spread via people who saw their behavior as political correctness run amok. The New York Post gleefully mocked the students at Lena Dunhams college. On social media, many wondered if the controversy was a parody.
In fact, it is quite real.
The core student grievance, as reported by Clover Lihn Tran at The Oberlin Review: Bon Appétit, the food service vendor, has a history of blurring the line between culinary diversity and cultural appropriation by modifying the recipes without respect for certain Asian countries cuisines. This uninformed representation of cultural dishes has been noted by a multitude of students, many of who have expressed concern over the gross manipulation of traditional recipes.
One international student suffered a sando-aggression:
Multiple students were dissatisfied with their landlocked, Midwestern institutions take on the cuisine of an island nation with Earths most sophisticated fishing culture:
In fact, it is quite real.
The core student grievance, as reported by Clover Lihn Tran at The Oberlin Review: Bon Appétit, the food service vendor, has a history of blurring the line between culinary diversity and cultural appropriation by modifying the recipes without respect for certain Asian countries cuisines. This uninformed representation of cultural dishes has been noted by a multitude of students, many of who have expressed concern over the gross manipulation of traditional recipes.
One international student suffered a sando-aggression:
Diep Nguyen, a College first-year from Vietnam, jumped with excitement at the sight of Vietnamese food on Stevenson Dining Halls menu at Orientation this year. Craving Vietnamese comfort food, Nguyen rushed to the food station with high hopes. What she got, however, was a total disappointment. The traditional Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwich that Stevenson Dining Hall promised turned out to be a cheap imitation of the East Asian dish.
Instead of a crispy baguette with grilled pork, pate, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs, the sandwich used ciabatta bread, pulled pork and coleslaw. It was ridiculous, Nguyen said. How could they just throw out something completely different and label it as another countrys traditional food?
Multiple students were dissatisfied with their landlocked, Midwestern institutions take on the cuisine of an island nation with Earths most sophisticated fishing culture:
Perhaps the pinnacle of what many students believe to be a culturally appropriative sustenance system is Dascomb Dining Halls sushi bar. The sushi is anything but authentic for Tomoyo Joshi, a College junior from Japan, who said that the undercooked rice and lack of fresh fish is disrespectful. She added that in Japan, sushi is regarded so highly that people sometimes take years of apprenticeship before learning how to appropriately serve it.
When youre cooking a countrys dish for other people, including ones who have never tried the original dish before, youre also representing the meaning of the dish as well as its culture, Joshi said. So if people not from that heritage take food, modify it and serve it as authentic, it is appropriative.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/the-food-fight-at-oberlin-college/421401/
I understand the grievance of crappy cafeteria food but to make it into a social justice issue? -_____- These kids really need to grow up if they expected authenticity in freaking Ohio.
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What kind of lunatics would put beef in a tandoor? Those are for chicken and goat and Naan.
CBGLuthier
Dec 2015
#11
I don't dismiss this as "millennial whining", badly prepared food is an insult!
frizzled
Dec 2015
#6
Imagine being a US-student abroad and you get promised a typical american Thanksgiving Dinner...
DetlefK
Dec 2015
#7
That would be an awesome Thanksgiving dinner. Incidentally, I had something like that happen.
Skinner
Dec 2015
#30
I just added Banh Mi to the list of foods I must have again when I return to the states in April
CBGLuthier
Dec 2015
#10
Did they at least serve truly authentic Mexican food such as the "Mexi-Melt"? (nt)
Nye Bevan
Dec 2015
#12
I'm going to guess none of these people has ever had "Mexican" or "Chinese" or "Italian" food...
Spider Jerusalem
Dec 2015
#14
If they're really concerned about "cultural appropriation", wouldnt that mean the dining hall should
Warren DeMontague
Dec 2015
#16