October 30, 2007

Kim Chee Bigotry?

Guest B. Mitchel says: "On October 27 during the Alton Brown show on the Food Network, 'Good Eats,' Mr. Brown used Kim Chee (a large bottle of it clearly labeled) to pour into a competitor's dish and ruin it. It was done in a humorous manner, but it was an intentional act on his part. His show uses humorous theatrics to demonstrate his mastery of food concepts.

What concerns me about this incident is the cavalier way a TV personality can make fun of another culture's food, especially the national dish of Korea. Now I don't care if anyone claims they don't like Kim Chee because it is too spicy or it smells or it just doesn't taste good. That is a personal matter. But to do it on a popular TV show in front of possibly millions of viewers is not acceptable. To me this undermines positive thinking about Koreans and promotes insensitivity and bigoted thinking. Too easily in America Caucasians don't think or consider the sensitivity of others and since they are the dominant culture they act in any manner towards minority cultures. Often it is done innocently not intending to inflict harm but is nevertheless and insidious act that is common place in the media
."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Obviously, the supposedly famous chef did not try the kimchee jheegae (stew), in which the kimchee enhances the flavor of the dish. Shame on cultural ignorance and bigotry.