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...?

This ain’t cultural appropriation, unless only people of Caribbean descent are allowed to make/eat Caribbean food, only Indian people are allowed to make/eat Indian food etc.

It might not be jerk chicken with the ingredients it has, but a proper spaghetti carbonara uses eggs and no cream, but people aren’t up in arms when supermarkets sell cream based ones are they?!

I genuinely have no idea what the issue is. If it’s not proper jerk chicken and it’s not good, it will fade into obscurity.

I think they've got it spot on. It's nothing to do with Caribbean food though. Someone in his marketing team knew exactly what they were doing.

Cultural insensitivity maybe? Just odd. Jerk is a specific set of ingredients. It's like calling something 'Masala rice' without it actually having any Masala seasoning 🤷🏽‍♀️

Maybe I'm just protective of the jerk!

I think cultural appropriation is a tricky concept. On the one hand idiot wankers who wear First Nations headdress to Coachella make me and I can't stand people who sell 'Aboriginal' art that is anything but. But me drinking an espresso while eating a panino is fine.

I think Jamie is profiting while disrespecting. So I suppose it is dodgy. Using a name to sell something then throwing out the essence because you know better...

Oh there's absolute uproar on twitter over this! Apparently an MP has accused him of it.
Surely jerk is just a seasoning?
Is it not like buying 'barbecue rice' ? yes technically you can't barbecue rice, as you can't have jerk rice, but simply the flavouring.
I'm failing to see how this has a negative effect on Jamaican people, very willing to be enlightened though...

Chefs cook other cuisines all of the time. I eat food for other countries too and it's not cultural appropriation.

Chicken Tikka Masala is famously a curry dish that was Anglicized. (Tin of tomato soup plus curry)

I think it's fine for people in the know to say that his dish isn't traditional Jerk. He uses "punchy" as in punchy flavour a lot so that's as insulting as using pukka, mate or his other frequently said words.

Cultural Appropriation is a bullshit term. If you insult or take the piss out of other cultures you are a racist dick. If you like a kimono or eat Jerk rice without being Japanese or Jamaican then you are just someone who likes kimonos or Jerk rice.

Mrbatmun

This is how I imagine you right now PPPMA!

🤣🤣🤣

Is this up there with Marco Pierre Whites' Jamaican Rice and Peas insult a few years ago? I'm not prepared to google and see his concotion, if you're raising your eyebrow and giving it the side eye, I'm assuming the combination of ingredients must be a bit bleurgh.

By shouting about cultural appropriation you're just giving him free marketing ...better to just let him get on with it and make a fool of himself. If it looks and sounds disgusting nobody will buy it or attempt to recreate it.

Cultural Appropriation is a bullshit term. If you insult or take the piss out of other cultures you are a racist dick. If you like a kimono or eat Jerk rice without being Japanese or Jamaican then you are just someone who likes kimonos or Jerk rice.

This

@FeralBeryl but it isn't jerk rice because it doesn't have jerk ingredients in it? And apparently does not taste anything like jerk (though will not be trying myself to find out!)

I think that's the difference. Carbonara without cream probably still tastes like carbonara and has the basic elements. This is just a case of re using the term 'jerk' for something entirely different!

PPMA, I agree. He could have easily thought of a different name.

I'm not claiming cultural appropriation... I posted the news article and asked what people thought about it!

Maybe he's named it after himself.

I keep laughing at this

I've never even heard of jerk rice before - jerk chicken, pork etc but not jerk rice.

Is it rice and peas?

Jamie sounds a bit confused.

Aww. Who gives a shit. 🙄 it’s rice.

Goodness me.

Who cares?

I'm currently making paella with basmati rice. It will taste great and it's an actual recipe from an actual cook book.

No one gives any fucks.

There really are bigger problems in this world right now

One jerks meat, not rice. One of my best friends is Bajan and she is... unimpressed, shall we say!

If you like a kimono or eat Jerk rice without being Japanese or Jamaican then you are just someone who likes kimonos or Jerk rice.

Nobody is insinuating that a person who eats jerk rice or wears a kimono is culturally appropriating though?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/food/shortcuts/2018/aug/20/jamie-oliver-jerk-rice-recipe-for-disaster-caribbean-marinade

The last paragraph includes a Jerk marinade recipe.

There really are bigger problems in this world right now

I take it you never complain about anything because you're not a seven year old, enslaved to mine gold in mercury-laden water 16 hours a day...

Whether it’s cultural appropriation I don’t know.

I do know that from the ingredients list it’s a bit like putting egg fried rice in a package labelled ‘Lasagne.’

I'd have thought he was more culturally appropriating by having pukka as his catch phrase!

Maybe he named it free himself is absolute genius.

He had form for this. He made up a recipe for paella which really pissed off the Spanish.

We all know he's a wanker with an ego the size of a planet though. The aim is just to keep him away from as many potential foodstuffs that are currently nice as possible to stop him bollocksing up any more of them.

I use the terminology "jerk" fairly regularly when his face pops up on TV to be fair, along with other slightly less polite ones.

I get your bafflement OP. I remember a number of years ago seeing a frozen stir fry mix marketed as chow mein - it was made with rice and vegetables with not a noodle in sight!

Jamie Oliver's a sanctimonious turkey twizzling prick though.