“So, if there were a day called ‘Wacky Wednesday, would that be racist, too?”
“Is there a group of people who culturally identify themselves as ‘Wacky’ people?”
“Yes,” he retorted, pointing to himself.
. . .
If you’re wondering what prompted this line of conversation, it all started with a conversation regarding alcohol.
At breakfast this morning, we were talking about going to Happy Hour at the UniBar seeing as today was “Mexico Monday.” “Is that racist?” I pondered aloud, not knowing this thought would spark a debate between two of my guy friends. Mexico Monday meant two hours of discounted ‘Mexican’ drinks like tequila shots and Corona schooners.
“Yes,” one friend immediately replied while another said, “No.”
Are alliterative events such as “Mexico Monday” and the well-known and well-loved “Taco Tuesday” racist?
Our consensus was no, Taco Tuesday is not “racist,” but we did agree that it was “culturally insensitive.” A lot of our opinion revolved around the notion that food is a large part of culture. Because food and culture go hand-in-hand, to commercialize food is to commercialize culture.
There was the argument that its not fair that white people don’t have a food day named after them… like Pasta Monday. However, you don’t have to sell white people their own culture. White culture, and in consequence, white food, is the norm. It seems that you do, however, have to change ethnic culture in regard to ethnic food, in order to sell to a white-thinking majority.
There was the counter argument that Mexican people are sharing their culture by wearing sombreros at Mexican restaurants and sharing the joys of corn tortillas (not real Mexican food btw) and Corona. However, how much is a people truly sharing their culture if they have to portray culture in a way that caters to the white majority? Ethnic groups who work in ethnic food industries must do a huge amount of emotional labor on their part. They have to showcase the stereotypes of their culture that the white majority is accustomed to seeing: i.e. Mexicans in sombreros, lanterns and lucky cats in Chinese restaurants. In doing so, they are commercializing their culture. Their culture becomes a consumer good that the white majority can digest and enjoy.
Is it okay to make gimmicks out of cultural food in order to sell it? Are we celebrating food by commercializing it or being culturally insensitive?
What do you think?
sleeponacloud 