MLK, Black History Month, and Cuisine Correctness
On MLK Day last month, the Denver Public Schools served Southern-style fried chicken, biscuits, and collard greens for lunch.
Despite the fact that MLK was actually from the South and actually liked those foods, the racial grievance crowd raised hell and complained that the menu was RAAAAACIST — prompting an apology from the school system.
Now, we have another p.c. food brouhaha — from the cafeteria halls of NBC News in New York City.
Mediaite has a photo of the network’s Black History Month menu, which includes fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and biscuits.
JWF is certainly right to call out the Left for its double standards:
“Could you imagine the media meltdown if Fox” did this?
True enough. And the demogogue race-baiters at MSNBC certainly don’t help.
But the annoying double standard doesn’t justify joining the cuisine correctness crowd and extracting apologies for serving up soul food.
My prescription: Everybody, chillax.
See what others have said
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I don’t care what day of the month it is, I like that menu. …of course I’m from the south.
that menu is retarded
I like sushi too though.
Does this mean no tacos and enchiladas on Cinco De Mayo?
We can only hope that it means no blood pudding on St. Patrick’s Day.
Good grief! When I was a kid we had fried chicken and greens regularly at Sunday Dinner. I suspect on any given weekend, that was the most common fare on the table of any given home in the south, regardless of the race of the household. How can this be racist?
Is serving clam chowder in Boston racist?
This is lunacy and it is getting worse.
Sanest post on this topic I’ve read all day!
When I was growing up in New Jersey, southern food was thought to be “black” food. Obviously, some people still think that way or there wouldn’t have been such a brouhaha.
I’m from Oklahoma, and it sounds like a GREAT dinner to me.
We aren’t even true South.But I’ve had the same thing many times. In fact when I was a kid, we had much the same for Thanksgiving with the addition of dressing.
Come on. No one in the article is quoted as calling the menu racist. The only person quoted as having any issue with the lunch did not even feel it was inappropriate, just that there are more meaningful ways to honor Dr. King’s legacy. Which is true.
Sorry Michelle Malkin. You love nothing more than calling out the black GRIEVANCE MONGERS, but not this time.
I’m hungry.
Do they serve pinnekjøtt,fenalår, svinneribbe or Julskinke on Scandinavian Day?
Wait….they don’t have Scandinavian Day, do they?
Racists
I’ll never understand this food mentality…I grew up eating greens, beans, turnips, cornbread, fried chicken, squirrel, rabbit & the odd raccoon. Not to mention catfish, carp and most parts of the pig. WTH is wrong with people?? Have they no shame?
BTW; I’m from Missouri.
wait, I am a white jew living in NJ, working in NYC. That was pretty much my dinner at Virgil’s BBQ last week (without the black eyed peas.) So now I am racist?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of carp or raccoon being eaten by anyone who could hunt or fish.
Great Ceasar’s Ghost…
I LIKE all that stuff!!!
I’m Black…!!!! Who knew…?!?!?
The words used in that article were “stereotypical” and “insensitive”. Those are the buzzwords used by the ones trying to tar someone as racist. Sorry to you, too. Michelle called this one for what it is. As usual, she is right!
I happen to like fried chicken. And it is my understanding that fried chicken is a meal that black folks in general like to eat. If I am a racist for having this understanding, then fine, I’ll be a racist. Fact is, though, the term racsit has lost its meaning. If everyone is a racist, then no one is a racist.
Pretender, you should know that real Swedes love their Lutefisk!
Well, maybe the next time they should serve Borscht.
See how the kids like that.
The litmus test for any word, thought or action has been reduced to “does it offend even one person?”
It doesn’t matter if that person is actively looking to be offended by anything.
This is how societies and nations commit suicide, not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Well, us Norwegians prefer Fiskesalat med pepperrotsaus.
But, I like fried chicken too, so that makes me an American.
At one of my duty stations in the Army one of the mess halls had soul food Thursday each week.All the foods mentioned were served.There was always a long line on that day.I never heard anyone mention race.
Oh right. “A parent complained…” MM is so desperate to expose GRIEVANCE MONGERS that one parent complaint becomes worthy of a blog post. A little honesty might compel her to acknowledge that the African Americans quoted had no problem with the menu. But MM isn’t interested in honesty.
It appears English is not RSS’s native language…
I guess RSS missed these lines from the article. Of course, the first quote is the first line of the article and we can’t expect RSS to read the whole first sentence before passing judgment…
I love me some racist fried chicken, racist cornbread, and racist watermelon.
Rags,
I have long suspected it. Do you have a “dialect” when you want to?
B.b..b….but where’s the arugula?
Oh, great day. If they had really wanted to be racist they would have served watermelon.
BTW, this Southern country boy loves everything on that menu, except the collard greens.
Actually, it’s a meal that southerners in general like to eat, regardless of race.
I was born and raised in south Georgia and currently live in Mississippi.
I’m Southern Born and Southern Bred and when I die I’ll be Southern dead.
When I first heard of “soul food” I thought it must be some kind of exotic dish. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was just the plain old country cooking I grew up eating.
People who think that southern meals like fried chicken, greens and corn bread are racist are just showing their own ignorance and bigotry.
Bingo!
coffee, you get the blue ribbon.
Questions:
* If I homeschool my kids and serve ethnic food on specific days, does that make me racist?
* Does it make my kid racist for not acting like a brain-dead liberal activist because he doesn’t call me out on the “issue?”
* Are latinos racist for serving hamburgers and fries on Ray Kroc’s birthday?
* Are all liberals brain dead because they are nothing but a bunch of raging hypocrites?
No, they’re raging hypocrits because they’re brain dead.
Now – what exactly do you have against ODD raccoons? Isn’t that raccoonist? Or is it stripist? Are you picking on the mental stability of raccoons?
I wouldn’t want to be around if the raccoon decided to get even.
Maybe NBC should have sand on the menu. From Raising Arizona…
Ear-Bending Cellmate: …and when there was no meat, we ate fowl and when there was no fowl, we ate crawdad and when there was no crawdad to be found, we ate sand.
H.I. McDonnough: You ate what?
Ear-Bending Cellmate: We ate sand.
[pause]
H.I. McDonnough: You ate SAND?
Cellmate: That’s right!
Too funny. Much ado about nothing. Though I wonder how often those items are regularly served without referencing black history.
Anyone who tries to push collard greens of a bunch of kids deserves to be in trouble!!
LOL
Only NORTHERN LIBERALS would NOT KNOW that this menu was a “Southern Menu.” That menu transcends race in the south. I am one of those southern boys and we ate this menu ever week and twice if we were lucky!
There used to be a place in Opelika, AL called “James Brown’s Family Restaurant.” I went there every chance I could to fill up on this menu. It was probably the most integrated clientele in town on any given day. So who owns the menu?
Well, you can tell from the comments, sometimes we like to have a little fun around here.
Rules for Radicals:
Rule 5: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.
We always have insalata caprese, scallopini ala lemoni, garlic bread, giardiniera, poi, some fava beans and a nice chianti on Columbus Day.
Greens are God’s gift to Southerners and the South’s give to mankind!
If you don’t have a hankerin’ for greens once in a while you ain’t from the South!
This is reta… Oh… wait… I’m not supposed to say that either.
How about this for racism: dedicating an entire month to people with higher melanin content than other people. Why not have a month for Star-Bellied Sneetches?
Dang it, now I’m in the mood to have ‘dinner with the colonel’!
In the Army when they first started “Black History Week,” (Yes, Virginia, in the olden days it was only a week.) our mess hall (Excuse me: Dining Facility) served “Soul Food.” It was all stuff I’d grown up eating in Oklahoma, except for one pan of nasty-looking stuff. I asked the mess sergeant what it was, and he said proudly in his Yankee accent, “That is stewed chitterlings!” (Yes, he pronounced it exactly as it is spelled.)
One: I don’t eat chitlins unless I really trust the person preparing them.
Two: Stewed “chitterlings” have to be the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen.
I did ask him where the smoked ham hocks were and drew a blank stare.
ECS
Too Much Time
No
No
No
Yes, they are the only ones offended by good food.
I’ll say it. Black History Month is a joke. It’s a month for blacks to honor their history and for whites to feel guilty for it.
We have no Asian History Month. We have no Native American History Month. We have no European History Month. We have no Jewish History Month.
Black people have every right to be proud of their heritage but no more than anyone else. Why do we need a month devoted to it where it’s all over the TV, papers, schools, etc.? Others were slaves. Others helped build this country. Others suffered.
Black History Month is a crewation of polictal correctness. It is a joke. It’s that simple.
As others have pointed out the first thing that the article states is that this is somehow insenstive and sterotypical, while the rest of the article points out that these were some of Dr King’s favorite foods.
You mention that there are more meaningful ways to honor Dr. King, well I highly doubt that the lunch menu was the only part of the celebration. I have four boys in grade school and for the past week they have been doing homework and research assignments about the accomplishments of Dr. King.
Here is just one of the other plans for MLK Day.
Da One’s connection to “Black History Month” is tenous at best.
Y’all let me know when a descendant of African slaves is elected President, y’hear?
ECS
Oh, dear. The “Colonel” does NOT offer “southern food” no matter what they say on the menu…
So, should hispanics be offended when Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated when people eat traditional foods, play traditional music, and take swipes at piñatas, which are actually Italian in origin?
PC thuggery is rampant. Blacks eat chicken. Asians eat rice. Hispanics eat churros.
It’s what they do.
I love what the board President said about the whole deal:
Now look at the statement from the mother that complained:
Compare the two statements and you tell me who is truly looking out for the best interests of the children.
I just had this same meal two nights ago. I was celebrating black history month. Just kidding. I probably eat this at least twice a month. I substitute the collard greens with fried okra. I loves me some fried okra!
Oh, and the cornbread should ONLY BE sweet cornbread!
Um, I know there are several of those. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May), Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep/Oct), Native American Heritage Month (Nov) — that I know of.
If your group doesn’t have a month, they’d been get one soon because months are going quickly and we have a limited supply of them.
If I posted this menu, with pictures, on the BBQ forums I use, everyone would want to come to my house for supper.
As said before–only missing squirrel, catfish, cornbread, and most of all, okra.
Pinto or navy beans with cornbread would also fit on this menu, but then again, that was for Saturday.
Jake
The problem is those who are not from the South do not know what is good or what those here eat. All those who think to eat this from the North need to get your hinny down here and get a good meal! Come down here all you who think see how you like it!
L
I don’t care about any one race’s history. I only care about our NATIONAL history, heritage and traditions.
See how racist I am.
QUESTION:
Is it racist that Black History month only has 28 (sometimes 29) days?
Most months have 30 or 31. Why are we cheating Black Americans out of two/three days of history?
They were mad because they weren’t serving watermelon also.
CJ, they may have those other heritage months but none of them get the all out blitz and hype that Black History Month gets. My kids don’t come home from school having to write pages of facts and create poster boards for anyone other than MLK Jr. and other famous black people.
Sweet cornbread is called, “cake”….you from up north by any chance?
*Political correctness, it’s what’s for dinner; I’ll pass, but as for my coffee, I like it to look like Halle Berry!; Yummie!
Blacks should be outraged…they left out the MAC ‘N CHEESE!!
That’s really all we need to know-she’s a professional racial grievance monger.
Anyone that ruins good cornbread that way should face a firing squad if they set one foot south of the Mason-Dixon line.
“Of course you know, this means WAR!” B. Bunny
Don’t forget the delicious Malt Duck or Hop’n Gator.
And the king of them all ~ Champipple (7Up and Ripple)
One of the great things about being white is that I never have people walking on eggshells around me. Thank goodness.
Having a thin skin has negative repercussions that span far beyond those with that character flaw.
Because white people never eat fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and biscuits.
You go into any Bojangles and you’ll see plenty of white folks scarfing down those awesome chicken biscuits.
Crap…now I’m hungry.
It’s funny, one of my favorite movies ever is “Soul Food”. A large, Black family gathers each week for Sunday dinner featuring the above mentioned foods plus catfish, mac and cheese and cornbread (sweet, so the kids will eat it). When the Grandma in the film passes away, the family goes their separate ways. My mouth waters every time I see it (upwards of 10 times) and I cry because it reminds me of my own upbringing.
Except, I’m Italian. From Boston. Other than the greens (we ate swisschard, broccoli rabe, beet and mustard greens) we have no foods in common. But what we have in common is the feeling of wealth because there is food on the table and loved ones gathered around it. Everyone trying to talk over one another and the gossip flying.
People need to stop dwelling on our differences and start celebrating our similarities.
Before the war begins, I’m on the no sweet cornbread side, I fear there may have been a mix-up.
Surveyor is the sweet cornbread person!!
Growing up in Texas on Tuesday we had beans and cornbread and on Wednesday we had cornbread and beans.
Anything to spread their racism, promote pseudo-guilt and shakedown anyone with money so they will not have to honestly work for a living.
Fine. No more fried chicken for you. Now go tell all the “soul food” restaurants to stop serving racist food!
I’m hoping when the politically correct crowd reports for diversity & sensitivity training for this heinous food-sin that the instructor will be one Mr. Tony Joe White, along with his teaching assistant Annie.
I am from the deep south (Southern Alabama). I hate collard greens! Yuck!!! My grandmother use to boil them till they were slimy and I thought I was going to choke every time I ate them. But I had to eat them or I would not get a slice of her yummy peach cobbler.
!!!RACIST FOOD!!!
OH! MAH! GOODNESS!
Someone has TOOOOO much time on their hands!
Now pass the mashed taters and gravy, please. And please refill my glass of iced tea.
I grew up eating those same foods in California. My parents were from the South, born and bred. To this day I’d give up most of my worldly possessions to taste my mother’s fried chicken dinners again, finished off with a cream pie that nobody in the world could make but her.
Throw out those sweet cornbread mixes in a box and taste the real thing sometime. It’s not that hard. You start with cornmeal from Texas. I am now going to duck and run……
When they start having “White History Month” and push Boiled Dinners (cornbeef and cabbage)on the menu, then I’ll get pissed! I hate freakin boiled dinners!
I suppose for Cinco De Mayo offering tacos, burritos and rellenos as dinner faire would be racist?
To be sure not to offend possibly spaghetti or egg foo yung should be offered as the mariachis played in the background?
Oh wait, not mariachi’s too close to their heritage which would be stereotyping.
Bunch of crap.
I guess inviting happyscrapper and swede over for lutefisk, fried kumla, lefsa, and ostkaka is in poor taste too?
Pass the cheese and crackers.
Rogue, that’s the key. I do not believe we should honor any ethnic group on any day, week, much less a whole month to denigrate those that are not of the same ethnic group. It’s highly dividing and children are the targets. To uphold one group as the example of the highest moral standard, for whatever grievance group, distorts their own experience as Americans.
No arugula?
Flyoverman, my husband is Norwegian and would be first in line at your table. I have never been able to get a spoonfull of lutefisk close to my mouth. It is an acquired taste.
But, he’s also the first in line for black tiger prawns (Viet Nam) or fresh Alaskan king salmon! If it ever swam the ocean he’ll eat it, no matter the country of origin.
Only if ya don’t invite me, too, Flyman.
Especially if it’s homemade lefse, like Granma made, that we’re talkin’ ’bout.
When is Swedish American month? We are a minority. We want our free stuff.
Let me see how this works…
I hate collard greens…and you are what you eat…therefore I must hate those who eat collard greens. If a good majority of those who eat collard greens are black, then I must be racist.
My freakin’ head hurts…
Fine. Let them eat watermelon…and send the above menu to me
Christin Ayers, the 7News reporter, created a story here. A single parent complains? The Denver Public School system collapses into a mound of quivering apologetic flesh? This is news?
Here’s a few suggestions for the parties in this “story”:
1) some parent needs to loosen up his or her sphincter and let that corncob of self-righteousness succumb to the gravity of humility;
2) Christin Ayers needs a reprimand and told to get her lazy tush out there and find real news or go find another line of work, such as, say, community organizing;
3) the DPS needs to grow a pair and add sweet potato pie to the menu next year…I’m offended that it was not included…and give the option for black-eyed peas for those of us who don’t like greens (heck, we have peanut soup every January 5th…is that racist, too?);
4) MM needs to back off on stretching the grievance-monger moniker…the article said it was a single parent. The Revs. Jackson & Sharpton didn’t come out of the woodwork for this one (yet, though Christin Ayers was probably hoping so). Most of the good people of Denver thought this was a non-starter. The DPS should be ashamed for their apology. But drawing a connection to “what if Fox News did this?” is schoolyard nonsense, no matter how true you believe it to be.
I’m right there with you cabrerski. I can’t stand greens (or cooked spinach), however I can’t go more than four or five days without fried chicken. It’s essential.
You can forget corn too (Native-American) and potatoes (South American) and the list can go on and on…. Or, is this nonsense applying only to Blacks?
But of course your are invited…..
Who would serve store bought lefse? I have my mother’s recipe from her Grandma Hendriksen.
Which reminds me…
Michelle, if you ever get a chance, find a friend in Denver to take you to 5-points to M & D’s Bar-b-que & Fish Palace for the BEST bbq you’ll EVER eat. And be sure to have the peach cobbler, it’s heavenly, but only slightly better than their sweet potato pie.
I used to work at Holy Tony’s by the Pond and that place was our regular stomping ground for excellent vittles!
Real Denverites will know I’m talking truth.
This may help:
http://www.mdbbqfish.com/
Sweet potato pie should be classified as one of the seven deadly sins.
I’m fixin to make one this weekend, to go along with a rack of ribs, bbq chicken & cornbread. Polk is not in season right now, or we’d be having salad with pepper sauce too.
I just drooled and shorted out my keyboard!
Allow me as a point of personal privilege to mention Walls Barbecue on York Place in Savannah, Georgia. It is only open a few days a week and only during certain hours. And it is not easy to find, even if you know the address. Best to call Walls and tell them you are right around the corner and they will come and get you. But then have the bbq chicken, pork, beef and the fried chicken, whatever fish they are frying and have the okra and the deviled crab which is to die for and then top if off with red devil cake. And you know you are having real southern cuisine because there is a refrigerator right where you can see it, the guy working on the roof in the heat comes down from the roof and sits at the next table, and there is no quiche on the menu.
And one other thing about Savannah. It is the home of Clarence Thomas. Take that Harry Reid!
Me too…good for you!
Let’s talk grits…with biscuts and red eye gravy…
Let’s get real for a minute. If you’re a real black person, from the south, or just an average American – no matter the color – this is the kind of food you like best. It’s what we all have grown up eating and grandma’s house. You’re real.
If your Obama, and desperately trying to shed your skin, you eat arugula and wagu beef. You’re a fraud.
My grandma made the best fried chicken! Oh man, this thread is making me hungry.
My sister-in-law is a G.R.I.T.S-Girl Raised In The South. She was born in NC.
She sometimes makes scrapple for the family when we visit. I don’t eat pork so I’ve never tried it. Even if I did eat pork I don’t think I’d eat it.
There’s nothing racist about fried chicken, biscuits and collared greens. Move over, brother. Let me in.
Were they serving that menu in class or in the cafeteria? Big difference. It is, of course, faux outrage. On Columbus Day I bet they serve spaghetti and meatballs. Actually, I hope they serve spaghetti and meatballs on Columbus day and Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patty’s and I am not being sarcastic. A large part of culture is food. The cafeteria is the place where food and only food is celebrated so “Soul Food” as that menu would have been called back in the late 60′s and 70′s, is perfectly appropriate cuisine. I hope they sevred fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches on Jan. 8th.
Are not Black American’s proud of their culture and cuisine?
As my Italian grandmother would have said, “Mangiare e chiusi” (Eat and Shut Up)