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This is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree."
] |
>
Served food?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…"
] |
>
According to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?"
] |
>
Chicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored."
] |
>
I'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line."
] |
>
Learn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?"
] |
>
Yes, but you're 13, right?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too"
] |
>
Hah... Just turned 40 unfortunately
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?"
] |
>
I'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately"
] |
>
Do you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype."
] |
>
This was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30"
] |
>
I’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner.
These things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them."
] |
>
Finally a relevant place to tell my story.
I was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a "black history lunch". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.
Now, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.
Ms.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.
Her menu included:
Fried Chicken
Baked Chicken
Collard Greens
Chitlins
(so far, not so bad right?)
The entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.
(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)
We had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists"
] |
>
Oh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑"
] |
>
Absolutely
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?"
] |
>
99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely"
] |
>
Exactly, like... "Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - "the" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?"
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes."
] |
>
After the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.
The watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.
This made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.
Soon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\""
] |
>
Oooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted"
] |
>
My university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!"
] |
>
I’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th."
] |
>
What is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome."
] |
>
FWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?"
] |
>
Yeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions."
] |
>
This school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire."
] |
>
So like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it."
] |
>
So like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon."
] |
>
Fried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem."
] |
>
Everyone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist."
] |
>
As Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world."
] |
>
Yeah but he’s also an ass
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”"
] |
>
Before I read the article I thought, "what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?"
Yes. Yes they did. 🤦
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass"
] |
>
So moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦"
] |
>
Waffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?
Non American here. What do you mean by waffles?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?"
] |
>
Just serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?"
] |
>
I swear I read this story last February!
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher."
] |
>
Worked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!"
] |
>
Watermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised."
] |
>
Obligatory "not american"
I admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners"
] |
>
These foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them "because black food for black people on black history month." I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here."
] |
>
Or we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.
Talk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there."
] |
>
Chicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are."
] |
>
I've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries
Food is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?"
] |
>
Context clues must be your greatest enemy.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason."
] |
>
Nah right now this whole "gas stove" nonsense is prob my current nemesis
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy."
] |
>
As a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis"
] |
>
All you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield."
] |
>
Me joking: "jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??"
Oh. They did do that.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s"
] |
>
It could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that."
] |
>
Soooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid."
] |
>
You stupid.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it."
] |
>
Racism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid."
] |
>
Wonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach"
] |
>
If they are in Texas then it's barbecue..
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth"
] |
>
Love me some brisket
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue.."
] |
>
id say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket"
] |
>
"Racially insensitive meal" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow"
] |
>
I don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn."
] |
>
Who doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?
Grew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon."
] |
>
Can you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!..."
] |
>
A bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!"
] |
>
Yep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha"
] |
>
betcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended
was it right what they did? nope
would I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE
Tomorrow you getting mystery meat "chicken" nuggets, corn and pudding.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version.."
] |
>
sounds like a great meal to me
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding."
] |
>
I’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me"
] |
>
None of this was "unintentional". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got"
] |
>
Stop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York"
] |
>
Bro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything."
] |
>
And out of season, too.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal."
] |
>
I mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too."
] |
>
If they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing"
] |
>
Naw, man, you mean Coke.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal."
] |
>
RC Cola
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke."
] |
>
Dude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola"
] |
>
Omg! So what
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time"
] |
>
I'll bet the kids loved the food.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what"
] |
>
Welcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food."
] |
>
"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally," said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon"
] |
>
How dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP."
] |
>
Jesus, is asking people to get a life too much?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again."
] |
>
I didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?"
] |
>
Sounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter."
] |
>
I don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting."
] |
>
The Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.
Actually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?"
] |
>
There was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race."
] |
>
bruh
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed"
] |
>
And no one gave a damn about it
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh"
] |
>
They missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it"
] |
>
Koolaid.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…"
] |
>
Purple drank
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid."
] |
>
Newport cigarette for dessert
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank"
] |
>
They’re alive with flavor!
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert"
] |
>
Lmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!"
] |
>
Racially insensitive meal. Nobody?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!",
">\n\nLmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad"
] |
>
Yet is a undeniably delicious meal
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!",
">\n\nLmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad",
">\n\nRacially insensitive meal. Nobody?"
] |
>
What makes it racially insensitive? Is this something that would be served at a black Americans home or is that just something portrayed in stereotypes?
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!",
">\n\nLmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad",
">\n\nRacially insensitive meal. Nobody?",
">\n\nYet is a undeniably delicious meal"
] |
>
It is not just a stereotype, its soul food served in authentic restaurants and homes, a staple for people from the south
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!",
">\n\nLmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad",
">\n\nRacially insensitive meal. Nobody?",
">\n\nYet is a undeniably delicious meal",
">\n\nWhat makes it racially insensitive? Is this something that would be served at a black Americans home or is that just something portrayed in stereotypes?"
] |
>
Watermelon isn’t soul food.
Edit: I take it back.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!",
">\n\nLmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad",
">\n\nRacially insensitive meal. Nobody?",
">\n\nYet is a undeniably delicious meal",
">\n\nWhat makes it racially insensitive? Is this something that would be served at a black Americans home or is that just something portrayed in stereotypes?",
">\n\nIt is not just a stereotype, its soul food served in authentic restaurants and homes, a staple for people from the south"
] |
>
Whoa. Interesting. I take it back.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!",
">\n\nLmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad",
">\n\nRacially insensitive meal. Nobody?",
">\n\nYet is a undeniably delicious meal",
">\n\nWhat makes it racially insensitive? Is this something that would be served at a black Americans home or is that just something portrayed in stereotypes?",
">\n\nIt is not just a stereotype, its soul food served in authentic restaurants and homes, a staple for people from the south",
">\n\nWatermelon isn’t soul food.\nEdit: I take it back."
] |
>
So, here is a suggestion, and bear with me on this one:
Just serve your regular food and stop trying to be "inclusive" with the food. Not EVERYTHING has to revolve around this month and the spotlight for it. Just like Cinco de Mayo and St Patrick's Day does not need to have everything changed for it!
I am not saying that Black History Month should be ignored (far from it-I agree with the phrase "Black History is American History"), but it does not have to be spotlighhted in the cafeteria with the food choices.
Too many people are trying too hard to "do the right thing" that they are messing up. Just be aware of other ethnicities/ cultures. Be kind toward every human being. Find worth in all people. Be a decent human being. THIS is what needs to be taught.
|
[
"“Instead of the Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit that appeared on the school's lunch calendar, Aramark, the food service company that provides meals to the district, served chicken and waffles with watermelon.”",
">\n\nThe fact that this same company has done this before is concerning",
">\n\nThey fired people the last time it happened but clearly that was just the expendable staff. The ones responsible are still working. They should end the contract with them instead of waiting for this to die down and do it again in 5 years.",
">\n\nAgreed. Also their food is garbage. It would be really neat if schools could hire local people to make food in house, instead of buying this overproduced stuff. It would also in highschools be a good work study period (or whatever they call it when seniors with space in their schedules can either shadow and help a teacher/admin or get a job) but I understand logistics/money etc makes this difficult, especially in poorer or more crowded school districts",
">\n\nThat would require changes to how federal funding happens for schools but as a former teacher? A lot of people working in the schools want that change too. It's also why ending the contract isn't likely to happen. This is just sad and part of the broken system.",
">\n\nI feel like if we all collectively agreed to start several things from scratch it would be beneficial. The way we do government spending? Full overhaul. The way we treat healthcare and schooling? Start over, make a new system that focuses on maximum benefits and minimum harm. Pipe dreams, but maybe one small thing at a time can change",
">\n\nThis will require a different government where I live but the majority of people want that. The problem is the system doesn't force the government to actually represent the will of the people. Which is the dumbest thing when the propaganda about how awesome the place is relies on that as a sales tactic. The other option for me would be to live where it's illegal for me to be myself and with a dictatorship so I will happily stay here I just will also call the bullshit out to try and make enough incentive for change to happen. We will get to the needed change it just will take more time.",
">\n\nFunny that Aramark was our food service provider in prison. I hope the kids don't get the same food we did 🤢",
">\n\nThey don't!\nThey get worse :)",
">\n\nI can't believe that's possible. Or let's say I CHOOSE to believe that's not possible. But then they say anything's possible. 🤷",
">\n\nMy high school had a “soul food” day on the day of our black history month celebration. No stereotypical watermelon or cool-aid though, just more authentic soul food, including fried chicken. Was one of the tastiest meals for sure. Our head cafeteria guy also wore a fake mustache and sombrero when they served Mexican for cinco de mayo.",
">\n\nWell, that's all fun. This is fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon. \nWe had soul food day in NC in the 00s. It was fried chicken, black eyed peas, mustard greens, and something else. We all looked forward to it.",
">\n\nI know what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow, I'll even dig out the muffin tray for some cornbread.",
">\n\nWhelp I can't believe I I left off cornbread, but there really was something else and it's keeping me up tonight so far.",
">\n\nProbably not chitlins, I doubt the school would be brave enough to serve those. Maybe some kind of dessert, sweet potato pie maybe?",
">\n\nPeach pie was also considered legit by the soul food place in my previous town.",
">\n\nAnd banana pudding.",
">\n\nWait, what?? My mom is from Mississippi and my dad is from Louisiana. They moved north when I was a baby so I grew up a yank. It's a weird feeling learning something I thought was common is actually very regional. On the other side of that same feeling I like my grits with fig preserves like my grandmom from Louisiana made for me. Didn't learn about grits with salt and butter until I moved to a rough neighborhood in Philly.",
">\n\nAramark: What? I thought you people liked this stuff.",
">\n\nBut this isn't the first time Aramark found itself in hot water. Back in 2018, another racially insensitive meal was served at New York University during Black History Month. It included barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. When called out, the company apologized and workers were fired.\n\"I thought they learned from their last mistake, but I guess not,\" Honore said.",
">\n\n\nKool-Aid and watermelon-flavored wate\n\nLet's be honest this was the problem. Up until then I was thinking 'yeah that is a pretty normal thing I've gotten from 'soul food' restaurants",
">\n\nI'm 45 years old and I never knew Kool-aid was a trope. The only people I ever knew that drank Kool-aid were white people... mostly me when I was a kid.",
">\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope. I mean, who doesn’t love watermelon??? How can this be a stereotype about Black people when everyone eats watermelon? On a hot day, eating cold watermelon is such a treat. Such an asshole way to ruin the enjoyment of one of nature’s best creations for Black people who can’t just eat something without it being turned into racial slurs.",
">\n\n\nI had the same reaction when i first heard loving watermelon is a racist trope\n\nI did too, because watermelon is probably my favorite fruit, but that's a well known racist trope... I've known about it for at least three decades.\nFried chicken + watermelon is clearly (to me) something you should not serve to celebrate Black history. It's not as bad as celebrating it with a noose on the tree outside but it's in the same genre of things.",
">\n\nAgreed that it is a racist trope. I’m not denying it. Just saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon. Racism is so awful and even though this is trivial in comparison to nooses or violence, it’s evidence of how it turns what ought to be innocent human actions (like eating watermelon) into pain. I wish we could all just eat watermelon without the layers of nastiness.",
">\n\n\nJust saying that I don’t understand why/how it is a racist trope when everyone loves watermelon\n\nYeah it doesn't make any sense at all.\nFor that matter neither does chicken.\nFor that matter neither does racism.",
">\n\nAs I learned last year MLKs favorite meal is: fried chicken, collared greens, and sweet potatoes",
">\n\n\ncollared greens\n\nCollard greens",
">\n\nColored greens\nDont cancel me pls",
">\n\nThey aren’t called collard people",
">\n\nPeople of collard",
">\n\nCollard TV?",
">\n\nNo, cholera tree.",
">\n\nThis is literally not the first time this company has done something like this…",
">\n\nServed food?",
">\n\nAccording to the article, several years ago, in another NY school, during black history month, they served fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and koolaid, watermelon flavored.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles are awesome regardless of skin color. Watermelon was over the line.",
">\n\nI'm confused. What's wrong with watermelon?",
">\n\nLearn something new everyday...I'd never heard of that and I live in the south too",
">\n\nYes, but you're 13, right?",
">\n\nHah... Just turned 40 unfortunately",
">\n\nI'm similar age, lived in California my entire life. Never heard of this stereotype.",
">\n\nDo you people live under a rock lol? It’s been a trope for like a century and if you’ve seen any cartoon or piece of media with a black person pre-90s it was absolutely prevalent. Pretty sure as like a young child I was aware of the “fried chicken, watermelon, dark face with red lips” stereotypes just from media alone and I’m 30",
">\n\nThis was something that took me a long time to accept, but people have super reliable blindspots for things that don't affect them.",
">\n\nI’m white as fuck and my entire family is. Pretty much no minority friends just due to proximity. I’ve always lived in white ass towns and grew up in a small town with a white ass church on every corner. \nThese things are incredibly obvious and even discussed in school, so unless you are willingly ignoring racism, you’d hear about it. “I just missed it” seems like bullshit in a country where every second news story is black and minority people being murdered by racists",
">\n\nFinally a relevant place to tell my story. \nI was a cook at Jobcorps in 2008 during black history month. At our center, it was reduced to black history week. The first day of which had a \"black history lunch\". The students were segregated and the black students were to have their own lunch time.\nNow, the women in charge of the menu was the student supervisor for PM shift, Ms.Francais.\nMs.Francais was in her 60's, african, and regularly came to work in traditional african garb complete with a dope totem-pole-style cane with elephants and shit.\nHer menu included:\nFried Chicken\nBaked Chicken\nCollard Greens\nChitlins\n(so far, not so bad right?)\nThe entire salad bar (2 of them in a line), were used for watermelon, exclusively.\n(okay a bit dicey...but then there was the ~~cherry~~ grape on top...)\nWe had one of those fancy juice machines you usually see at hotels with breakfast, and ours had 6 different flavors from orange and apple, to exotic shit like passionfruit guava. Despite this, Ms.Francais had us mix up 2 sports coolers (bout 10 gallons) of grape coolaid and place them by the juice machine...😑",
">\n\nOh lord. Did they really segregate the kids?",
">\n\nAbsolutely",
">\n\n99% of all non-Americans are just staring at the screen right now and have some giant question marks in their eyes.",
">\n\nExactly, like... \"Everybody eats watermelon and waffles... Don't all kids in the US eat those too, black or white or asian or latino or whatever? How can, of all things, eating watermelon - \"the\" fruit of summer - become a racial thing?\"",
">\n\nAfter the civil war, newly freed black people started growing and selling their own food.\nThe watermelon was especially popular because it was relatively easy to cultivate and in high demand.\nThis made some black people very wealthy and some white folk just were'nt having it so they started the stereotype of the lazy c**n that likes watermelon.\nSoon the fruit became associated with that image which led sales to briefly plummet (they were eventually restored )but the caricature persisted",
">\n\nOooh! I didn’t know where the bad image came from!",
">\n\nMy university did this. Except it was on a Feb 29th.",
">\n\nI’m sorry that people were upset by it, but that first fuck up meal where they served ribs, collards, and cornbread with kool aid sounds pretty fucking awesome.",
">\n\nWhat is a racially-sensitive meal that can be served in Black History Month?",
">\n\nFWIW, the article says that the announced meal was something else, Philly cheesesteak and sides. But instead somehow it got changed to a full checklist of stereotypes. Could be intentional, could be a really dumb series of substitutions.",
">\n\nYeah, my school serves chicken and waffles all the time, but what we dont have is fresh fruit so if that showed up eyebrows WOULD be raised! I think the fact it was an unannounced menu change adds more fuel to the fire.",
">\n\nThis school only served chicken and they had to apologize for it.",
">\n\nSo like genuinely curious, why’s the watermelon to far? Like the girl who complained said she wouldn’t have complained if it was just chicken and waffles. I feel like chicken and waffles is just as much of a stereotype as watermelon.",
">\n\nSo like I get that, but isn’t there also a stereotype for fried chicken? They seem kinda similar and equally as bad, but in this case it’s specifically the watermelon that’s the problem.",
">\n\nFried chicken and waffles is a super common dish in NYC and its metro area, where this school is. No one would associate it with Blackness tbh. Everybody eats it, even vegan/vegetarian versions exist.",
">\n\nEveryone also eats watermelon. Like, all over the world.",
">\n\nAs Dave Chappelle says “If you don’t like watermelon and fried chicken something is wrong with you! It’s delicious”",
">\n\nYeah but he’s also an ass",
">\n\nBefore I read the article I thought, \"what'd they serve, fried chicken and watermelon?\"\nYes. Yes they did. 🤦",
">\n\nSo moving forward are they going to serve racially insensitive meals during other months instead?",
">\n\nWaffles? Like Belgian waffles with chicken?\nNon American here. What do you mean by waffles?",
">\n\nJust serve macaroni and cheese, with a side salad to keep everything kosher.",
">\n\nI swear I read this story last February!",
">\n\nWorked for these shit heels in the Refreshments AP team. Upper management is about as air headed as they come. I've had team managers disappear at lunch on day 1 because of poor corporate management. Not surprised.",
">\n\nWatermelon flavored water. Brought to you by the same company that's been sued for spending $2 on feeding prisoners",
">\n\nObligatory \"not american\"\nI admit my knowledge of the USA is memes and pop culture, from what I've gathered African Americans really seem to like that food. Why is it insensitive? Genuine question here.",
">\n\nThese foods are typically things that they were forced to eat as slaves because they were dirt cheap and nobody wanted to eat them. They claimed power over that situation by turning it into a tradition and celebrating it instead. Now all these years later people are serving this stuff to them \"because black food for black people on black history month.\" I think that's enough info to plainly see where people are coming from, and I don't think I have the ability to explain deeper or better than that. If you want to learn more I'm sure there are plenty of resources out there.",
">\n\nOr we could listen to the people that are genuinely offended by this and not whitewash over their pain.\nTalk about writing a paragraph about nothing. It doesn’t cost a thing to fucking listen, but here you are.",
">\n\nChicken and waffles with watermelon. Wtf, Aramark?",
">\n\nI've been a chef for 20 years in 7 countries\nFood is not racist unless you're in the States for some reason.",
">\n\nContext clues must be your greatest enemy.",
">\n\nNah right now this whole \"gas stove\" nonsense is prob my current nemesis",
">\n\nAs a European I would fail so hard in this food minefield.",
">\n\nAll you need to know is everything in America is racist. You’ll be ok /s",
">\n\nMe joking: \"jesus, what did they serve, like chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon or something??\" \nOh. They did do that.",
">\n\nIt could only be more racist if they served grape koolaid.",
">\n\nSoooo food legitimately part of the culinary cultural heritage of the culture being celebrated is off limits for this one and only culture. Got it.",
">\n\nYou stupid.",
">\n\nRacism never tasted so good. That meal sounds better than anything I ever had in middle school. Though the special pizzas you had to pay extra for were hold a special place in my stomach",
">\n\nWonder what they'll serve for Juneteenth",
">\n\nIf they are in Texas then it's barbecue..",
">\n\nLove me some brisket",
">\n\nid say this Is the height of ridiculousness , but there's always tomorrow",
">\n\n\"Racially insensitive meal\" wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. Damn.",
">\n\nI don't understand what's wrong with acknowledging that black people love chicken and watermelon.",
">\n\nWho doesn't enjoy amazing chicken and/or watermelon?\nGrew up in an Italian family and we sure as shit ate a ton of this too..... Isn't it just... Food?!...",
">\n\nCan you imagine there being an italian American month and having the school serve pizza and pasta to celebrate it lol yes please!",
">\n\nA bunch of us would have went wild! Half would complain it isn't as good as Nonna's haha",
">\n\nYep itd become a long conversation of how to make it more authentic as everyone enjoys the shabby cafeteria version..",
">\n\nbetcha next time they stick to menu from the week before. IF you try to appease everyone somebody gonna be offended\nwas it right what they did? nope\nwould I continue to attempt to craft ethnic holiday menu's? NOPE\nTomorrow you getting mystery meat \"chicken\" nuggets, corn and pudding.",
">\n\nsounds like a great meal to me",
">\n\nI’m white but I freakin love fried chicken and watermelon. I wish my school would’ve served that instead of the nasty shit we got",
">\n\nNone of this was \"unintentional\". You have to go out of your way to get watermelon... in February... in New York",
">\n\nStop. Being. Offended. By. Everything.",
">\n\nBro this ain’t it. I’m not one to clutch my pearls at everything either, but did you even read the article? Chicken and waffles, sure. That’s a common thing especially nowadays. It’s delicious and trendy (still) and kids love it. But that paired with watermelon? When the school has literally never served watermelon before? On the first day of black history month? Come on now. Anyone with two brain cells to run together knows that that’s a damn racist-ass meal.",
">\n\nAnd out of season, too.",
">\n\nI mean.. it’s perfectly in season in the Southern Hemisphere.. feb is like their august.. global economy just globally economy-ing",
">\n\nIf they had added a Pepsi and a moonpie it would have just been a southern picnic meal.",
">\n\nNaw, man, you mean Coke.",
">\n\nRC Cola",
">\n\nDude you are right. I haven’t had a RC in a long time",
">\n\nOmg! So what",
">\n\nI'll bet the kids loved the food.",
">\n\nWelcome to 2023, when people get offended over watermelon",
">\n\n\"If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don't know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,\" said Wilbur Aldridge, with the Nyack NAACP.",
">\n\nHow dare they serve food that black culture likes. Disgusting. Can't wait till we just have standardized food pellets so this kind of travesty doesn't happen again.",
">\n\nJesus, is asking people to get a life too much?",
">\n\nI didn’t know watermelon was black kryptonite. It’s just a fruit. An expensive fruit in winter.",
">\n\nSounds like y’all are finding any excuse to label something racist. If they served chicken, waffles and watermelon I would’ve gladly ate it over the round greasy pizzas we were used to getting.",
">\n\nI don’t understand the whole watermelon thing. Do people not enjoy watermelon?",
">\n\nThe Internet has taught me that watermelons are stereotypically enjoyed by Black people in America.\nActually, it seems to have become a big deal when Obama was running for president, and somebody said he'd be growing watermelon on the lawn (iirc). Before that, I never associated watermelons with race.",
">\n\nThere was a black kid in an old racist advertisement for watermelon that has left a legacy of self consciousness regarding eating it. I think everyone can agree its a delicious fruit that’s universally enjoyed",
">\n\nbruh",
">\n\nAnd no one gave a damn about it",
">\n\nThey missed the last part to make it a truly offensive meal…",
">\n\nKoolaid.",
">\n\nPurple drank",
">\n\nNewport cigarette for dessert",
">\n\nThey’re alive with flavor!",
">\n\nLmao people getting shocked over literaly nothing, US fucked up woke society is getting funier and funier viewed from abroad",
">\n\nRacially insensitive meal. Nobody?",
">\n\nYet is a undeniably delicious meal",
">\n\nWhat makes it racially insensitive? Is this something that would be served at a black Americans home or is that just something portrayed in stereotypes?",
">\n\nIt is not just a stereotype, its soul food served in authentic restaurants and homes, a staple for people from the south",
">\n\nWatermelon isn’t soul food.\nEdit: I take it back.",
">\n\nWhoa. Interesting. I take it back."
] |
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