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White-Owned Restaurants Shamed for Serving Ethnic Food: It's Cultural Appropriation
Reason's Hit & Run Blog ^ | May 23, 2017 | Robby Soave

Posted on 05/24/2017 11:24:24 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

If you're a white person, you have no business running a restaurant that serves Asian, Latin, African, or Indian cuisine.

That's according to the creators of a "white-owned appropriative restaurants" list, which accuses several Oregon establishments of engaging in cultural appropriation—a tool of "a white supremacist culture."

The list, a Google Docs spreadsheet, includes about 60 Portland-area restaurants, the names of their white owners, and the kind of cuisine they serve. (For example, the list informs us that Burmasphere "was founded by a white man who ate Burmese food in San Francisco.") The spreadsheet also lists competing restaurants that are owned by people of color and urges customers to try them instead.

"This is NOT about cooking at home or historical influences on cuisines; it's about profit, ownership, and wealth in a white supremacist culture," wrote the spreadsheet's authors. "These white-owned businesses hamper the ability for POC [people of color] to run successful businesses of their own (cooking their own cuisines) by either consuming market share with their attempt at authenticity or by modifying foods to market to white palates. Their success further perpetuates the problems stated above. It's a cyclical pattern that will require intentional behavior change to break."

The spreadsheet seems to be a response to the controversy over Kooks Burritos, a Portland-area pop-up food truck run by two white women. In an interview with Williamette Week, Kooks owners Kali Wilgus and Liz Connelly explained how they fell in love with authentic Mexican tortillas during a visit to Puerto Nuevo, Mexico.

"I picked the brains of every tortilla lady there in the worst broken Spanish ever, and they showed me a little of what they did," said Connelly. "They told us the basic ingredients, and we saw them moving and stretching the dough similar to how pizza makers do before rolling it out with rolling pins. They wouldn't tell us too much about technique, but we were peeking into the windows of every kitchen, totally fascinated by how easy they made it look. We learned quickly it isn't quite that easy."

Reactions to the interview were hostile, to say the least. Commenters trashed the pair. The Portland Mercury slammed their actions as intellectual property theft. Mic's Jamilah King described Kooks' methods as "either genius or the latest example of white folks profiting off the labor of people of color." Connelly and Wilgus eventually shuttered the truck.

It's not clear who is behind the spreadsheet, but the authors claim it was compiled "by several people of color." I reached out for a comment and received this response: "Sorry, we are not taking media inquiries."

When people criticize cultural appropriation, they are often irritated that a non-ethnic person has pilfered an ethnic tradition in an insufficiently authentic manner. That's not exactly the case here. Say what you will about Wilgus and Connelly—peeking into windows was certainly rude—but it sounds like their burritos were pretty darn accurate. They went to the trouble of learning how a native Mexican would cook them. The same may well be true of some of the restaurants on the spreadsheet. Who knows: Some of them might even employ nonwhite cooks who are in fact preparing their own traditional cuisines.

Anyway, if you're saying that white people shouldn't serve ethnic food at all, even if it's really authentic and popular with customers, you're going to drastically shrink the pool of non-ethnic people trying, eating, and learning about, ethnic cuisines. That might satisfy the enemies of cultural appropriation, but it doesn't seem like it would ultimately be in the best interests of anyone, including the ethnic restaurateurs.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food; Politics; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: endwhiteshaming; food; kooksburritos; liberalbigots; oregon; portlandia; restaurants; waronwhite; waronwhites; whites; whiteymustpay
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To: AZLiberty
If you're a white person, you have no business running a restaurant that serves Asian, Latin, African, or Indian cuisine.

Don't worry, no one wants to serve ANY "African" "Cuisine"... Or eat any either.

These people are beyond stupid and are pushing it just to see how far they can push us around with this complete nonsense.

Tuck fhem.

41 posted on 05/25/2017 1:20:39 AM PDT by Bullish (May as well just rename Hollywood---> Hypocrite city)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I'm Scandinavian, Eastern European, Greek/Italian and 2% North African.

Interesting! I hope you are writing that down for your children, if you have any; Ancestry.com is pretty helpful.

From what my parents told me, I'm Czech, Swedish, and I have a bit of Jewish and Scottish...I see those commercials for genetic testing from Ancestry and am curious to try it.

My great-great-grandfather was a Jewish itinerant peddler in the 1800's. He worked with his brothers. Apparently he fell in love with a Scottish woman...and his family said, "if you marry her, we will disown you."

He chose love over money. :) His brothers went on to start up a chain of successful department stores.

It really is fascinating to look into your family tree. :) Take care, FRiend. :) Julie

42 posted on 05/25/2017 1:29:47 AM PDT by proud American in Canada ( God Bless America (Trump: I wil)l bear the slings and arrows for you, the American people))
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To: Mark17

The SJWs who concocted this list need to be doxed.


43 posted on 05/25/2017 1:34:04 AM PDT by Flick Lives ("Daddy, what did you do in the Deep State War?")
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To: Flick Lives

Actually castration is better so that DNA Isn’t passed on


44 posted on 05/25/2017 1:53:30 AM PDT by BigEdLB (To Dimwitocrats: We won. You lost. Get used to it.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ever notice that a lot of restaurants have Hispanic cooks? Even some CHINESE restaurants! But liberalism never makes any sense. “Rules for thee, but not for me”


45 posted on 05/25/2017 1:57:19 AM PDT by Flaming Conservative
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

What a crock!


46 posted on 05/25/2017 1:58:37 AM PDT by Flaming Conservative
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To: a fool in paradise

Bazinga!


47 posted on 05/25/2017 1:59:49 AM PDT by Flaming Conservative
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Leftists are the most racist people in the world.


48 posted on 05/25/2017 2:16:45 AM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m sure the two ladies in question are down-the-line leftists as is most of Portland. The problem is that having driven away everyone to the right of Bernie Sanders who is left for Progressives to turn their hate on except each other?


49 posted on 05/25/2017 2:18:30 AM PDT by jalisco555 ("In a Time of Universal Deceit Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act" - George Orwell)
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To: Bullish
Don't worry, no one wants to serve ANY "African" "Cuisine"... Or eat any either.

Seriously? You've never eaten at an Ethiopian restaurant? You should do so while you have the chance, before the cultural police forbid any non-Ethiopian from eating that cuisine.

50 posted on 05/25/2017 2:21:28 AM PDT by jalisco555 ("In a Time of Universal Deceit Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act" - George Orwell)
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To: Raycpa

Absolutely.


51 posted on 05/25/2017 3:03:31 AM PDT by perez24
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Just one more part of the ongoing War on Whites. Ever notice how all SJW attacks only apply to whites vs blacks: affirmative action (Asians discriminated against, no prob), racism (only whites can be racist), cultural appropriation (only an issue when done by whites), white privilege (Asians no prob), tyranny of the majority (only a problem when whites are majority), identity politics (whites are “supremacists”, others are “taking pride in their culture and people”), ... The only appropriate response is to completely ignore them, don’t even acknowledge them, and hurt them economically in every way possible.


52 posted on 05/25/2017 3:12:42 AM PDT by LambSlave
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Wonder if these same folks have an issue with Hispanics pretty much taking over some black neighborhoods, remodeling some homes and opening their own businesses. Some of which serve burgers.


53 posted on 05/25/2017 3:22:21 AM PDT by jughandle (Big words anger me, keep talking.)
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To: LibWhacker

I’m going to show my age now; when I was in college it was a “penis sheath”...


54 posted on 05/25/2017 3:44:49 AM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Gene Eric

Maybe they are masochists/fetishists who want their food prepared with unwashed hands...


55 posted on 05/25/2017 3:46:10 AM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
If you're a white person, you have no business running a restaurant that serves Asian, Latin, African, or Indian cuisine.

Do the white thing--call it fusion cuisine.

56 posted on 05/25/2017 4:00:23 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I see a lot of blacks selling cars, tv’s, computers, tires, medical supplies - on and on. Michelle wasn’t born with that white girl hair.


57 posted on 05/25/2017 4:05:01 AM PDT by Palio di Siena
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To: Yaelle

; )


58 posted on 05/25/2017 4:06:41 AM PDT by leaning conservative (snow coming, school cancelled, yayyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

White peoples $ is ok to spend at minority o&o establishments

White peoples $ is ok to give to minority causes and charities

White peoples tax $ is ok to spend on or give to minorities

Got it!


59 posted on 05/25/2017 4:07:42 AM PDT by Phil DiBasquette
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Why are white liberals living in Portland? How dare they!


60 posted on 05/25/2017 4:10:03 AM PDT by onedoug
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