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...?

Hands up who buys ready meals?
I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who buys Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, or any other ready meal, is not eating the authentic recipe.
Don't even get me started on Spaghetti Bolognese, or those abominable bready, sloppy topping covered monstrosities passing for Pizza.

Dorsetdays. Yes, I mentioned it's cooked in an oven.

So WHAT? food companies do that all the time, its NORMAL. If you dont like it dont buy it.

BUT IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS THAT. FFS!

When we're talking about cultural appropriation it is a lot more complex. A white man should not just nick a popular term/name whatever from an already disadvantaged community to add to his already growing millions in the bank. IT IS WRONG.

Grimbles: But on that note, tandoori chicken refers to chicken, marinated in certain spices and then cooked in an oven. You wouldnt refer to kfc or nandos style chicken as tandoori.

But the "Tandoori" chicken that you buy in Tescos has never seen the inside of a Tandoor that is intrinsic to the dish - so perhaps that should be banned as well?

Probably should also ban anyone who cannot prove their heritage to the Indian province from cooking up a Chicken Madras as well!.

At risk of sounding very stupid and naive, how come the Jamaican culture is up in arms about this far more than, say Indian culture is about curries? Both cultures were equally as repressed surely?

As others have said. Jerk rice isn't even a thing. Jamie is an idiot. That's a thing

People who don't see race or colour are blind. You're not being my ally or helpful when you say that. You are just negating my lived experience.

You also should not take the braids that made me cry as a child and make it into a 'fashion' a la Mark Jacobs. It's just WRONG.

Same thing here with Jamie Oliver.

A white man should not just nick a popular term/name whatever from an already disadvantaged community to add to his already growing millions in the bank

[Facepalm] He hasn't stolen it off anyone, a Jamaican person is still free to market and sell 'genuine' jerk rice. Or are you saying white men can't market and sell non white food? When did the UK become full of so many PC Nazis?

Shirley Equally as repressed? Is one repression better than another?

Equal? Of course not.

Indians can decide what they find insulting without it affecting another people's decision.

Sorry - I don’t understand your post at all?

@ShirleyPhallus because the anglicised curries used in Britain were invented by Bangladeshis and Indians to make money. They are allowed to mess with their own food and adapt it.

I did read something recently about m&s and Indian food.

Fanks luv

“Facepalm] He hasn't stolen it off anyone, a Jamaican person is still free to market and sell 'genuine' jerk rice. Or are you saying white men can't market and sell non white food? When did the UK become full of so many PC Nazis?”

Isn’t it funny that Caribbean families have been making and selling jerk for many years yet somehow haven’t ended to with a TV show, range of foods and homeware, books and foods?

I wonder why a food company wanted to market a white mans jerk instead of theirs eh? I WONDER

@VladmirsPoutine: so the answer is no white person can own an Indian/Chinese/ kebab shop because they have the wrong skin colour? Who does this help?

Grimbles. Yes, I read that but you were comparing tandoori chicken to KFC as if it’s the spice (“marinated in”) that leads to it being called called tandoori.

I’m not Italian but, if I was, shouldn’t I have been offended by the Domino’s/Levi Roots reggae reggae pizza that they launched a few years back??

@beefarseer

walking dead if a Jamaican decided to market and sell Jerk rice, or a Nigerian decided to sell Suya rice, they'd get the same stick from their own people.

@Walkingdeadfangirl Don't call me a Nazi. It's not a race to the bottom and I've often found people throwing that out when they can't think of reasoned response. I wonder if you know anything about how Jamaican people selling their culture to make profit are faring against white men doing the same? It is a case of institutionalised racism and barriers for black people. They'd call it 'unicorn' rice if it made a difference but for some bizarre reason a black man doing the same as a white man doesn't get the same reception.

I did not know that Jerk rice was a jamaican dish, I know peas and rice is but am I correct in assuming there i s not such thing as jerk rice?

Grumbles. I think tandoori actually refers to the oven it’s cooked in (a tandoor).

Exactly - and yet you can buy 'tandoori chicken sauce' in a jar from the supermarket. Clearly not proper tandoori chicken, and probably made by a white guy somewhere, and certainly lining the pockets of some white guys. Nothing new. Like the hoisin duck noodles I have in my cupboard. I'd be willing to bet there's not a trace of duck or plum in them.

This is all nonsense and makes those involved look ridiculous.

@Walkingdeadfangirl you shouldn't call people Nazis, under any circumstance. Horrible insult.

@glintandglide Exactly what you said! Case closed. I can't stand all the 'faux' "but what if posts". It's not my job to educate them.

Isn’t it funny that Caribbean families have been making and selling jerk for many years yet somehow haven’t ended to with a TV show, range of foods and homeware, books and foods?

That's just the power of celebrity. If Levi Roots marketed a 'jerk' rice it would get similar exposure and distribution.

Lloyd Grossman does Italian
spaghetti sauce. Where was the uproar for that?