Jamie Oliver's 'jerk rice'

[PPPMA]

Jamie Oliver has been accused of cultural appropriation for calling a new product "punchy jerk rice".
The decision to label the microwavable rice "jerk" has been criticised, because the product doesn't contain many of the ingredients traditionally used in a Jamaican jerk marinade.

What we think of this?! As someone of Caribbean descent, who loves jerk, and raised an eyebrow when I looked at the ingredients, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow... not offended, just baffled!

AIBU to think that if you create something new, you call it something new...?

[PPPMA]

Lots of eyebrow raising

[BeeFarseer]

Maybe he's named it after himself.

[ShirleyPhallus]

I personally think the term cultural appropriation is bollocks and up there with body shaming - ie a total 2018 term which will hopefully fade in to obscurity

[NewYearNewMe18]

cultural appropriation

Does that mean I can't make a curry, or a lasagne or eat frogs legs? It's utter bollox. Complaining for the sake of complaining.

[Jupiter9]

I agree he his a jerk and his restaurants are going just.

[Jupiter9]

Bust

[ByeGermsByeWorries]

It's not jerk. No idea why it's labelled as such. Would probably have been better received just being called punchy rice...there's another brand of rice as well with limited edition "Caribbean rice" which is just rice covered in spicy liquid with some kidney beans dropped into it.

[PPPMA]

I hate the term cultural appropriation too, don't get me wrong. It was a copy and paste job of the headline. I wear box braids and couldn't care less if someone from non-African descent wants to wear them, I couldn't care less what music you listen to, or food you eat, but to create something and then take the name of a traditional Caribbean dish, and name it after that, when it's not that at all? Bizarre!

[ShatnersBassoon]

I wouldn't call it cultural appropriation/misappropriation.

Someone at the rice meeting didn't know what jerk meant, and Jamie Oliver has probably 0% input or interest in such things. They called it the wrong thing, that's all.

[busyboysmum]

Cultural appropriation isn't relevant here.

Presumably anyone is allowed to make jerk chicken but you have to use the traditional ingredients I would have thought to be able to call it jerk.

I think the two issues have got mixed up.

[Mrbatmun]

This is how I imagine you right now PPPMA!

[ByeGermsByeWorries]

I don't think it counts as cultural appropriation though, he's just trying to sell a food and probably thought it sounded appealing.

[TheFlis12345]

Many countries / cultures make other countries and cultures foods badly. I don't think anyone does it deliberately to offend so struggle to get worked up about it.

[ShesARebel]

Its not jerk, it’s not got the right ingredients.

Don’t let him get his claws into caribbean food, he is a destroyer of good things!

[ScrambledSmegs]

BeeFarseer

[Fruitbatdancer]

I cannot get in a tizz about rice. 🍚 🤷‍♀️

[ohnothanks]

Restaurants going down the toilet =ridiculous media furore.... I smell a PR agency.

[Mrbatmun]

Maybe he's named it after himself.

😎

[Fruitbatdancer]

Ps disclaimer - I used to love a turkey twizzler at school.

[PPPMA]

@Mrbatmun erm, okay...

[HamsterToast]

Really what he did was take something from a culture which not his,
which was previously subordinate to his, misrepresented it, claimed he 'invented' it and marketed it for gain. It is the definition of cultural appropriation, sorry Jamie.

If he'd just done jerk chicken with his own slant on it and called it 'Jamie's Jerk Chicken' , while acknowledging the Jamaican origins, it wouldnt be cultural appropriation but cultural sharing!

[ScrambledSmegs]

But - jerk rice? I mean, I have very little knowledge and understanding of Jamaican culture and cuisine, but even I know that there's no such thing.

[RoseWhiteTips]

BeeFarseer

Maybe he's named it after himself.

😂🤣

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

If it doesn't have the right ingredients in it to make it jerk then surely it is a trading standards issue as it is miss guiding the consumer to what it contains.

[LaurieMarlow]

I agree it's not jerk, but it's not like the term is trademarked (as far as I know).

So he comes across as a bit clueless, but that's the height of it.