(no subject)
I was watching Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee the other night on Food Network.
After one look at the decor, it was blaringly obvious that this was an Asian-themed show.
Her set, complete with red/black paper lanterns hanging, fans amuck, and little red place matts with Chinese characters; just wasn't cheesey enough for her. She also donned a bright red, dragon-lady high-collared dress, complete with red chopsticks in her blonde hair. As if she didn't look enough the part a bad Hong Kong movie, after announcing that she'd be cooking WON TON soup with rice or something, she put her hands in the prayer-position, and even gave the camera a bow. And just in case this weren't insulting enough, she even cooked in her costume dress without an apron or anything. By the end of the show, surrounded by her insulting decor, she served her main course on a plate. Inside of a red Chinese carryout box.
If she were cooking middle-eastern food, would she dress herself in a Burka and not speak during the entire episode? Of course she wouldn't. Her critique on the Asian theme was tactless, and oddly tacky. How was this episode cleared to air?
I really want to write a letter to the Food Network because I feel the show was HIGHLY discriminatory (not only racially, but also religiously), and just plain ignorant. Not all Asians are, or were Buddhist/Shinto/Daoist--we're not to be BOWED at. Nobody has a stock of takeout boxes to eat out of, we use PLATES. We don't read our placemats, we have BOOKS. We don't read by lantern light, we have ELECTRICITY. Nobody owns a cricket, anymore. And we DO NOT! WEAR! CHOPSTICKS! IN OUR HAIR!
If anyone can find a way that I can write a letter to the station, let me know. I think we're all rightfully tired of seeing our language and characters thrown around dollar tree shelves like they're completely bereft of history and respect. We're never going to see the end to this breed of stereotyping until we tell pop-culture,
"No. This is not our culture. This is racism."
After one look at the decor, it was blaringly obvious that this was an Asian-themed show.
Her set, complete with red/black paper lanterns hanging, fans amuck, and little red place matts with Chinese characters; just wasn't cheesey enough for her. She also donned a bright red, dragon-lady high-collared dress, complete with red chopsticks in her blonde hair. As if she didn't look enough the part a bad Hong Kong movie, after announcing that she'd be cooking WON TON soup with rice or something, she put her hands in the prayer-position, and even gave the camera a bow. And just in case this weren't insulting enough, she even cooked in her costume dress without an apron or anything. By the end of the show, surrounded by her insulting decor, she served her main course on a plate. Inside of a red Chinese carryout box.
If she were cooking middle-eastern food, would she dress herself in a Burka and not speak during the entire episode? Of course she wouldn't. Her critique on the Asian theme was tactless, and oddly tacky. How was this episode cleared to air?
I really want to write a letter to the Food Network because I feel the show was HIGHLY discriminatory (not only racially, but also religiously), and just plain ignorant. Not all Asians are, or were Buddhist/Shinto/Daoist--we're not to be BOWED at. Nobody has a stock of takeout boxes to eat out of, we use PLATES. We don't read our placemats, we have BOOKS. We don't read by lantern light, we have ELECTRICITY. Nobody owns a cricket, anymore. And we DO NOT! WEAR! CHOPSTICKS! IN OUR HAIR!
If anyone can find a way that I can write a letter to the station, let me know. I think we're all rightfully tired of seeing our language and characters thrown around dollar tree shelves like they're completely bereft of history and respect. We're never going to see the end to this breed of stereotyping until we tell pop-culture,
"No. This is not our culture. This is racism."