Students at Oberlin College Bellyaching about 'Inauthentic' Ethnic Food

a reply to: boncho

You are right that a lot of Asian cultures use a ton of pickled vegetables, but America does not. We have pickles, but not nearly the variety that the Asian cultures and cuisines do.

I'm guessing that the dining hall did what is commonly called a compromise.

Either they were going to have make their own pickled vegetables to make the banh mi or they were going to have to try to buy enough which might have been prohibitively expensive. They may elected to go with the slaw in an attempt to put something with a similar profile in its place that was readily available in the American market ... like slaw.

a reply to: ketsuko

Are you sure this is not an article from the onion?

hey, they even offer a variety of really odd, I wouldn't be interested in them, but some of you might be more daring recipes on their website...

oberlin.cafebonappetit.com...

It's not a cultural issue. It's not a political issue. It's not even a quality of service issue. It's just a trade description issue at the most as I see it.

If the catering provider dropped the word 'authentic' from their descriptor the issues the students have would be null and void. Of course contractual agreements need looking at to clarify if it is as simple as that. ( Contract between the catering provider and the school/contract between school and student etc.)

If I were the caterer I would take the path of least resistance in order to retain the contract whilst negating any further bad publicity and maintaining profit margins.

1st world problems...
Blimey when I was a kid we got slop in fact slop is a nice word for it gruel may by better.
But we were 'appy .

a reply to: HumberWarrior

I was just on their website, I don't really see where they promote anything as being "authentic" although I might have missed it...it more of a it's more healthy, grown at local farms, sustainable, good for the enviroment, let's look after the future sales pitch....

Who the hell steams their Chicken instead of Frying it, we are lucky the Chinese don't just attack us on that... Maybe they should fry it in Gutter oil to get the full Chinese affect... Yum yum

a reply to: dawnstar

Well then, if it's not sold as'authentic' the kids have no right to complain about 'authenticity' or cultural appropriation of a manner that is 'disrespectful'.

They need to look at the part of their contract that sets out the technical agreement regarding the provision of a meal plan.

If the caterer is not breaching any part of that the kids are making fools of themselves.

You can't complain about something you're not contractually entitled to if the service has been contractually agreed and signed off. Stick to the contract and its definitions.

a reply to: HumberWarrior

no they can complain as much as they want, just like anyone else can....
but well, considering what the meals that are served in the public school system is like now days, and what I remember of the food served in my college cafeteria, these kids seem to have it good....
a wide variety of selections to chose from, we didn't have that....
from a variety of different cafeterias even...we only had one and maybe a couple of different choices every day...

they can complain, just like we did when we were in college, doesn't mean anything will change.

My point mainly isn't that they're complaining about the food. We ALL complained about our dining hall food. That food isn't usually the best, so you complain about it.

I just think it's going overboard to complain about it and try to make out as though the dining service is making the food wrong to insult your culture.

That's where I think it's ludicrous. I mean let's be honest, they are trying to accommodate people of different cultures and tastes with their menus in the first place. That's more than they had to do.

a reply to: dawnstar

Granted they can complain but they are adding accusations to the complaint. That's the behaviour that causes concern. They're not just saying they don't like the food they're paying for. They are at the very least implying the caterer is in breach of contract.

They are transitioning to the world of adults. Hence the fees and contractual agreements attached to those fees.

Therefore I would expect them to be a bit more knowledgeable about what constitutes a legitimate complaint in this new world they are entering. Others would too and may assume they ( the kids) are adult enough to know where they stand on this issue and by that assumption take their complaints seriously.

Resulting in damage to the image and future earnings of the catering provider?

a reply to: ketsuko

Oh I see; you are upset, because you think the students complaints are not Politically Correct , lol's!!!!

Really this is between the students, the school and their food vendor and is none of your business!

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
a reply to: ketsuko

Oh I see; you are upset, because you think the students complaints are not Politically Correct , lol's!!!!

Really this is between the students, the school and their food vendor and is none of your business!

No I think it's ludicrous that the students think that the food is an attack on their culture because it isn't made the way they think it ought to be.

If I went to school in Japan, I wouldn't expect them to make American cuisine exactly like my mother used to make either. It's Japan. They have a Japanese idea of what American foods like meatloaf are supposed to be like. Heck, the Japanese love potato salad, but it's nothing like what we think of in the US.

a reply to: ketsuko

You are right that a lot of Asian cultures use a ton of pickled vegetables, but America does not. We have pickles, but not nearly the variety that the Asian cultures and cuisines do.

You can pickle it yourself, it's just a matter of cooking it briefly and let the carrots soak overnight. But again, you can pick up this stuff really cheap in any ChinaTown.

I'm guessing that the dining hall did what is commonly called a compromise.

The problem is if they are labelling it 'authentic' trying to appeal to their ethic groups in the school. As if they are trying to earn culture-points, but then they don't even take the time learn to properly make the food to respect the culture. On the other hand, if its being marketed as 'fusion' there's really isn't a basis for a legit complaint. I remember at my ex's university, we used to make fun of the 'fusion' foods. They wanted to appeal to the Chinese population (med school w/teaching hospital) but the only people who'd eat that garbage were westerners. Kind of ironic.

Either they were going to have make their own pickled vegetables to make the banh mi or they were going to have to try to buy enough which might have been prohibitively expensive.

Yeah, that was my point. It's called food prep. Letting carrots soak overnight is not incredibly difficult. And carrots are not expensive. Banh Mi itself is one of the cheapest dishes around, near where I live there are dozens and dozens of shops that sell Banh Mi, the cheaper/basic ones are $2/sandwhich. You can get higher end, gourmet plates that are 5-10$ and come with sides, but we're talking about a really cheap dish here. It's bread and some veggies with a little bit of meat.

I wouldn't be surprised they overcharge either, like every other campus eatery.

If they are trying to market this as 'authentic' or they are trying to pander to different ethnic/culture groups, at least spend 5 minutes and get proper recipes. Hell, I bet the students would probably offer up a quick lesson for the cooks, to ensure they are getting a decent meal. I know I would if I were stuck with those eating choices in school

a reply to: ketsuko

So you feel that these students wishing to make change in the cuisine being served in their cafeteria is not only your business, but you also feel the need to post it at ATS for members to scrutinize???

Or could it be the post was made because political bigotry?

The first quote is very telling:

Students at an ultra-liberal Ohio college are in an uproar over the fried chicken, sushi and Vietnamese sandwiches served in the school cafeterias, complaining the dishes are “insensitive” and “culturally inappropriate.”

Gastronomically correct students at Oberlin College — alma mater of Lena Dunham — are filling the school newspaper with complaints and demanding meetings with campus dining officials and even the college president.

ultra-liberal Ohio college

alma mater of Lena Dunham

Oh I see, just more of your political baiting, carry on!

two links for yas...

oberlinreview.org...

I don't see anywhere in this article that the cafeteria is claiming that the food is "authentic" the kids are just expecting that the food should be as authentic as possible to the dish they are used to being called that. that is like me saying that I have found authentic pizza in decades because I have found no one who makes it the same way as the little pizza shop that my mom and dad got it from when I was a kid did.... and how many pizza shops are around???

this is the second link and seems to suggest that the original complaint dealt with more than just the cafeteria food..

oberlinreview.org...

sorry got sidetracked with the Kendra Farrakhan, wondering if she was linked to the other Farrakhan, since that might explain some of the weirdness about this...

*Yawn*

A handful of complaining, privileged college aged kids, and somehow this is a "bash and blame liberals" thing?

When is the last time any of you old-timer conservative-minded folks have hung out with college aged kids lately? They ALL complain about EVERYTHING.

This isn't so much a liberal/conservative thing as it is a young/old thing. Kids love complaining about things, they feel they are somehow morally superior in the world, where most people making the decisions are older.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Oh, so when you complained about the college food, did you call it an attack upon your culture if it wasn't exactly right or served with the frequency you desired?

I think it's telling that they use the vocabulary of culturally/racially aggrieved to complain instead of just making their points, some of which I acknowledge as valid. They instead used the language of victimhood.

posters on ats bellyaching about students at oberlin college bellyaching about 'Inauthentic' ethnic food
layers within layers
its like were in the matrix or something