Albertsons offers Kwanzaa baskets this holiday season

Times-Herald Online ^ | 12/15/03 | RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN, Times-Herald staff writer

[dce88]

Albertsons offers Kwanzaa baskets this holiday season

By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN, Times-Herald staff writer

Vallejo's Albertsons supermarket, 2001 Solano Ave., is one of several in the Bay Area in which the San Leandro-based company has introduced the sale of Kwanzaa baskets for the holiday season.

In Vallejo, the baskets have been on display in the floral department for about a week, said grocery manager Frani Dimond, but haven't been moving very well.

"We haven't sold any yet," Dimond said. "Maybe people don't know what they are."

What they are, are a collection of "everything one needs for the Kwanzaa holiday," according to an Albertsons promotional statement, which adds that company executives worked with "a select team of African-American vendors to create and design the Kwanzaa basket."

The baskets, which sell for $34.99, contain a specially designed doll that symbolizes the Griot, or "keeper of stories" in African culture; seven candles (Mishumaa Saba); a teak candle holder (Kinara); an ear of dried corn (Vibunzi/Muhindi); a straw place mate (Mkeka); the gift (Zawadi) and a booklet explaining the principals of Kwanzaa.

In addition to the Kwanzaa baskets, Albertsons is holding a Kwanzaa coloring contest. Children can pick up an entry at participating Albertsons stores, including Vallejo's and enter to win a field trip for their class to the African-American Museum and Library in Oakland during February's Black History Month. Entry deadline is Jan. 5.

The Fairfield, Vacaville and Suisun City Albertsons are also participating.

[Petronski]

A basket packed with mentholated cigarettes, food stamps and shower caps.

Throw in a couple 40s of (OE) and you've got it.

[RichInOC]

Kwanzaa...Swahili for "let's get black folks to waste as much cash on holiday crap as the white folks".

[Smokin' Joe]

oh good. i needed a place to put my kwanza anyway. (Honey, oh HON-EY, what did you do with our kwanza? We have one of those, don't we?)

[Hacksaw]

You're starting with the official Festivus airing of the grievances early.

But how are we going to do the "Feats of Strength" over the internet?

[TontoKowalski]

Better an empty basket than racially stereotyped foods. How insulting can they get?

I initially thought the baskets were food baskets, too. I was interested to see what was in them, which is why I opened the thread.

I was in charge of the menu for the Black History month luncheon at a DoD facility. I did a lot of research to find recipes for authentic African and Caribean dishes for the menu...which I enjoyed, FWIW.

The event was universally panned. Everyone expected fried chicken and collard greens and cornbread and watermelon.

I never knew that as a Southern White Boy, I was raised eating soul food.

(Best C&W singing voice on) I was multicultural when multicultural wasn't cool...

[Smokin' Joe]

Watermellon in produce, fried chicken in deli....

[Rummyfan]

Shall we now perform the feats of strength?

[ysoitanly]

But this is such a GREAT marketing coup! Since less than 2% of the population knows what Kwanzaa is, less than 4% of the population celebrates it, and no one knows what the baskets are for in the stores, how can it miss?

[Smokin' Joe]

What? No barbecued ribs? Ain't soul food wit'out no ribs, man.

[ysoitanly]

Oops - got my statistics backwards. But you know what I mean.

[Jhensy]

Well, I've switched to Kwanzaa, but that was because they shut Napster down.

[Dionysius]

Can it be purchased with food stamps?

[Alberta's Child]

Within the next five years I figure that two of the most idiotic "holidays" of the PC era -- Kwanzaa and "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day" -- will disappear completely.

[petercooper]

Yes to Festivus!

[RicocheT]

Don't forget a copy of Marx's "Das Kapital" as the inventor of kwanzaa was a communist.

[secret garden]

One more reason why Albertson's went belly up in our area.

[bootless]

The Safeway/Vons strike is only in SoCal. There has been a lone picketer walking around in Castro Valley, but I think he's just lost.

[TontoKowalski]

Well, I learned from my mistake. The next year, I convened a committee of folks to make up the menu. We had every stereotype "black" food you can imagine, except for chitlins, which I absolutely refused to have.

Otherwise, it looked like a parody that the Klan would sponsor. If I were a black man, I would have been highly offended by the whole thing, but everyone seemed happy, and I suppose that's what counts.

[Sam's Army]

Absolutely correct; hence my mention of the AK and Molotov's.

[My2Cents]

Brutal comment, but honest. Ouch.