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What about music stores that carry "World Music" and "Country Music"? I think it's a totally valid observation. You would think that they would have "American Cooking". But does that make it equal to "International"?

posted by JamesOctober 2, 2008 at 19:09

uh... [ e ]

That racism doesn't seem very subtle to me.... :(

posted by DoctressJuliaOctober 15, 2008 at 2:12

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"I've often heard white or black looking Americans talk to Asian looking Americans as though they aren't really American". - GM

In the case of first interactions, I think some of this can be attributed to the community in which the black/white person lives/works.  There are areas where many non-english speaking people and/or new immigrants live.  After many encounters it becomes the norm to assume communication will be difficult or different, but not impossible, so the black/white person may default into the that communication style. 

on the other hand...

I overheard a white woman cashier compliment an asian woman on her command of the english language.  The cashier had no reason to believe the woman was not from the U.S.  Crazy.

posted by jgOctober 24, 2008 at 14:08

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Interesting. I don't think I've ever been to a food court big enough to warrant labels for different sections. I see your point, but I'm not really sure what else we would call the "home cooking" section.

posted by CarrieOctober 29, 2008 at 13:35

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Gregg, I get it, really!

posted by shoegalNovember 10, 2008 at 13:00

Food racism? [ e ]

I never even thought about it like that.  I know that "home cooking" usually means the faire that you saw at the food court, but like you say, whose home?  Just because it's rice doesn't mean it wasn't cooked at home. 

Makes ya think, anyway. 

Backlinks

posted by AngelaNovember 10, 2008 at 21:38

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I guess it's all in context of who and where. Some people think "American" means that big old melting pot of people, and some think "American" means the original WHITE settlers. (I'm sure one of those groups overlaps quite uniformly with the group who think Sarah Palin is worthy of her position in politics too, if you know what I mean.)

Same thing applies to the food thing. If you're from small town white america, those "foreign" foods aren't very common, therefore "foreign and weird". It's not racist so much as it is ignorance. (The two are pretty similar but the intent seperates them).

posted by anonemouseDecember 2, 2008 at 10:22

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This kind of stuff is even stronger in Australia.  EG Sampras and Agassi are accepted as American. If they had exactly the same family history but their forebears had chosen Australia instead of the US, there is no way they would be fully accepted as Australian.  You need to have a noticeably British family history to fully accepted as Australian.

posted by jayFebruary 19, 2009 at 1:12

Hmm [ e ]

Maybe it depends on who is running this Food Court. If this happened in Japan lets say, and some Japanese sold two kinds of food 'Japanese' and 'American,' would he be calling the Japanese who were raised on fries and steak Americans?

Perhaps it's just that the person who ran the restaurant or whatever cooked their stuff in their home. Besides, up until recent years, that kind of 'home' cooking was probably the common stuff for 90% of homes, why should it even matter. I do understand where you're coming from, however. But whatever, this really doesn't matter, Chinese Food / Indian Food / Whatever international food still isn't 'American Food', but it is being added to the 'melting pot' gradually, or whatever you want to call it. Similar to Kebab in Europe. I would try not to let it bother me.

posted by FudKortFebruary 25, 2009 at 13:49

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Heh, which category would they put pemmican in?

posted by anonymouseMarch 12, 2009 at 9:23

Racist food? [ e ]

I don't think "racist" is probably the appropriate term here because it implies some negative connotation.  I think, like the other poster says, it depends upon the perspective of the person who labeled the food categories.  And yes,  I do think that most Americans stereotypically think of the indigenous foods of our forefathers as "American" fare, especially in contrast with Asian foods since the vast majority of Asian immigrants came to the shores much later in the country's history.  So foods that were likely grown here on our farms or ranches, and prepared in ways that were akin to their preparation of their forefathers in Europe are more like to have the "American" label attached to it.

I think the important point, tho, is that it is not intended to be insulting to other styles of cuisine which we all enjoy.  Americans eat far more Pizza than Italians.  Yet we still consider pizza to be "Italian food".  Similarly, when I'm traveling abroad, I often see food on menus and cafes referred to as "American food", despite the fact that we're still very much "The Great Melting Pot".  And Anonemouse, I DO think Sarah Palin belongs in politics.   And despite your assertion, I'm quite certain that I've dined on a greater variety of fine cuisines in a greater number of countries around the world than you ever will.  So please don't try to perpetuate the Liberal myth that "Conservative Politics"  is in some way synonymous with "Un-educated and Un-cultured".  To do so would make YOU the troglodyte.

posted by CannesJASApril 21, 2009 at 11:41

Home cooking isn't racist [ e ]

"Home cooking" is a figure of speech describing exactly the kind of food you knew it meant, not a term describing where the food was prepared. Home cooking or any style of cooking is cultural rather than something based on genetics as racism would imply. If I say I don't like Chinese food, that does not mean I don't think people who are of Chinese ancestry cannot make good fried chicken or enchiladas.

posted by comeonMay 7, 2009 at 3:18