NMMMR: A lesson in cultural appropriation

[redheadbaker]

You'd think "Never tell Asian people how to eat their native food “properly” if you know nothing about it" would be common sense, but given what's gone down around here lately, I thought this should be shared. 

There have been so many other examples of this lately, including Cosmopolitan claiming cornrows are a new trend after posting a photo of a white woman with the hairstyle.

nextshark.com/tyler-akin-pho-stock-video/

Ignorant White Guy Tries To Tell Asians How To ‘Properly’ Eat Pho — Gets it All Wrong

An online foodie magazine thought it would be a great idea to create a guide on how to eat Pho, a popular Vietnamese dish with an American chef who serves Vietnamese food in his restaurant in Philadelphia.

Reactions from Asian viewers of the video however highly indicated that his “proper consumption techniques,” did not sit well with the people who grew up eating the delicacy.

Philly-based chef Tyler Akin of Stock restaurant talked about his set of rules one must follow to “get the most out of your soup” via a two-minute video.



He stressed in the video that adding Sriracha or hoisin sauce destroys the broth’s flavor that the chef worked hard to prepare. He stated that before adding any customization to the soup, it is best to try the broth first to ensure that you can taste the dish as the chef intended it.

…But then he immediately advises viewers to “squeeze as much lime as they give you.”

Here’s a tip: Never tell Asian people how to eat their native food “properly” if you know nothing about it.

An online foodie magazine thought it would be a great idea to create a guide on how to eat Pho, a popular Vietnamese dish with an American chef who serves Vietnamese food in his restaurant in Philadelphia.

Reactions from Asian viewers of the video however highly indicated that his “proper consumption techniques,” did not sit well with the people who grew up eating the delicacy.

Philly-based chef Tyler Akin of Stock restaurant talked about his set of rules one must follow to “get the most out of your soup” via a two-minute video.


He stressed in the video that adding Sriracha or hoisin sauce destroys the broth’s flavor that the chef worked hard to prepare. He stated that before adding any customization to the soup, it is best to try the broth first to ensure that you can taste the dish as the chef intended it.

…But then he immediately advises viewers to “squeeze as much lime as they give you.”

He also showed how one should use a chopstick with a technique that he said would give you the most amount of noodles in one go.

The video even claims that “pho is the new ramen.”



While the video, with an accompanying article called. “PSA: This Is How You Should be Eating Pho,” may be well intended, some viewers who have been eating their native dish all their lives felt a little off with some outsider telling them how to eat their cuisine.



The video was also posted on Facebook with the title “How to Eat Pho” and has racked up over 1.2 million views so far — along with a number of negative comments.























The restaurant’s Yelp page has also been flooded with 1-star reviews since the video went viral.









Since the backlash, Bon Appétit Magazine has released the following statement on Facebook and changed the title From “PSA: This Is How You Should be Eating Pho” to “We’re in Love With This Pho”



Tyler Akin also gave his side of the story.



Update: 9-8-16 9:16 a.m. PST The videos have been taken down from YouTube and Facebook. However, we’ve found a re-uploaded version on YouTube.

[smock]

His "apology" is essentially "I have Asian friends!" And the Bon Appetit headline is so fucking wrong.

[darnkatz]

Oh sweet jesus. The whitesplaining. Shut the fuck up, dude.

[gibbinator]

I remember reading a tutorial on eating sushi rolls and it was the same thing - he was just all superior about it and of course all the comments were "this guy has no idea how Japanese people traditionally eat sushi."
So dumb. Why people?

[aspentosh]

lol for days at his "apology".

I love watching people make their meal theirs. It's an art. To have a chef (a white one, at that!!) tell you how to eat Pho or any other food is fucking laughable.

[osulori]

Nice "apology", dude.

[karinothing]

Ugh, I saw this on FB< but before his non apology. What an a$$.

[bearbaby]

"Not my fault, bruh!" does not equal an apology.

[lauralala]

So freaking dumb. And that is not an apology. I feel like Bon Appetit has a history of saying dumb things. Last year they proclaimed hummus the dish of the year like it was some great new thing, not a dish that has been around forever in many cultures.

[shelbyann]

THE NEW RAMEN?

Did anyone at BA even review this before they posted it? JFC.

[pinotgrig]

Oh my. Both at the original story and the apology.

[jsillyfun]

Ugh. No. Go away bro.

[quesyrah]

Yikes. And LMAO to the chef's "apology."

White people of the world: Quit it! You're not experts at everything.

[brandienee]

Gross.

[redheadk]

Sept 9, 2016 8:43:48 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

I remember reading a tutorial on eating sushi rolls and it was the same thing - he was just all superior about it and of course all the comments were "this guy has no idea how Japanese people traditionally eat sushi."
So dumb. Why people?

I was trying to figure out why this felt like deja vu and realized it was the sushi rolls.

I'm in a bubble and live in lala land and even I am baffled as to the amount of hubris one must have to explain a culture that isn't theirs on the Internet, as if the people of that culture aren't be on the Internet and better able to authentically explain it.

[liveintheville]

For fucks sake. I'm Vietnamese and yes enjoy eating my "cultural" food but this is BS.

[mskitkat]

JHC. I thought this would be something similar to the video that plays outside my favorite ramen place on the "right" way to eat ramen and the "wrong" way is how you eat pho. And pho is the new ramen? GTFO. Unless this means ramen restaurants will stop being crowded by all the hipsters.

[noodleskooze]

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO APOLOGIZE NOWADAYS?



NO

[robyn]

Just what Asian people are looking for...an ignorant white know-it-all hipster to explain to them how to eat. What an offensive dipshit.

[spaghettisquash]

This is unsurprising. Just like Matt Damon is playing the role of white savior in Great Wall, Emma Stone is a half-Asian character in Aloha- can't have Asian actors in those roles. It's just another form of whitewashing.

[mrssandro]

White Hipsters showing their clear lack of respect for different cultures. He obviously lives in a bubble where people make him believe his knowledge is superior to the rest of the world.

[picksthemusic]

This is so gross of BA, and of white people thinking they are experts in cultural cuisine.

[elleblue]

Sept 9, 2016 11:32:45 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

This is so gross of BA, and of white people thinking they are experts in cultural cuisine.

I'm thoroughly disgusted. 

[PatBenatar]

What a douche. His apology sucks too

I do enjoy "Fuck yo feelings" Well said Jeff

[awick14]

Sept 9, 2016 8:43:48 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

I remember reading a tutorial on eating sushi rolls and it was the same thing - he was just all superior about it and of course all the comments were "this guy has no idea how Japanese people traditionally eat sushi."
So dumb. Why people?

I remember going to a restaurant after coming home after I did a homestay with a family in Japan and then I was told by a (white) server how to eat sushi. I politely told him that's how I was taught how to do it in Japan, his response was "well they taught you wrong!" 😳 I'm sure the family I stayed with would disagree.

What right do people have to tell other people how to eat food anyways.

[awick14]

milliep- I just started working in Vancouver and the amount of racism down there is horrible. It was a huge shock to me. I hate how Canadians as a whole talk about how bad racism in the US is, just fucking look around you people! You are just as bad, if not worse because you believe your not racist. At least lots of Americans admit they are racist and don't hide it. (I know a lot of Americans hide it to, but not like Canadians do.)

[curbsideprophet]

Sept 9, 2016 12:41:10 GMT -5 awick14 said:

Sept 9, 2016 8:43:48 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

I remember reading a tutorial on eating sushi rolls and it was the same thing - he was just all superior about it and of course all the comments were "this guy has no idea how Japanese people traditionally eat sushi."
So dumb. Why people?

I remember going to a restaurant after coming home after I did a homestay with a family in Japan and then I was told by a (white) server how to eat sushi. I politely told him that's how I was taught how to do it in Japan, his response was "well they taught you wrong!" 😳 I'm sure the family I stayed with would disagree.

What right do people have to tell other people how to eat food anyways.

Unless you specifically asked him how to eat it, I do not see why this would need any commentary. As to his follow up response that is just absurd.

[Deleted]

Sept 9, 2016 12:41:10 GMT -5 awick14 said:

Sept 9, 2016 8:43:48 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

I remember reading a tutorial on eating sushi rolls and it was the same thing - he was just all superior about it and of course all the comments were "this guy has no idea how Japanese people traditionally eat sushi."
So dumb. Why people?

I remember going to a restaurant after coming home after I did a homestay with a family in Japan and then I was told by a (white) server how to eat sushi. I politely told him that's how I was taught how to do it in Japan, his response was "well they taught you wrong!" 😳 I'm sure the family I stayed with would disagree.

What right do people have to tell other people how to eat food anyways.

Also, y'all know I have A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT FOOD, but I generally DGAF how anyone eats it. I care how it's prepared. As long as you don't chew with your mouth open, how you cram the food down your food hole doesn't matter to me.

[undecidedowl]

BA using a catchy headline like that despite it being racist is the equivalent of posters here worrying more about getting likes than being civil. Whatever it takes, right?

[Faevantastic]

Sept 9, 2016 13:23:38 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Sept 9, 2016 12:41:10 GMT -5 awick14 said:

I remember going to a restaurant after coming home after I did a homestay with a family in Japan and then I was told by a (white) server how to eat sushi. I politely told him that's how I was taught how to do it in Japan, his response was "well they taught you wrong!" 😳 I'm sure the family I stayed with would disagree.

What right do people have to tell other people how to eat food anyways.

Also, y'all know I have A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT FOOD, but I generally DGAF how anyone eats it. I care how it's prepared. As long as you don't chew with your mouth open, how you cram the food down your food hole doesn't matter to me.

You know that in some cultures chewing with your mouth open is normal, right?