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...?

White guy claiming to have invented jerk rice

But, surely he's not.

The MP Dawn Butler who talked about it is a bit of a (insert mild insult) though.

@RoadToRivendell no he's just chosen to reinvent it, take all of the spices out of it so it is no longer Jerk, but still calling it jerk and profiting from it. It's weird...

I'm not offended by it, I just think it's funny and a bit ridiculous on his part!

unless all chefs are guilty of CA.

This is a good read that shows how some chefs respect and celebrate food. And understand the link between food and culture.

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-chio-lauri-bourdain-filipinos_us_5b1eb137e4b0bbb7a0e01042

What's in it?

Is he claiming to be Jamaican?

No,but that's not relevant. In fact the appropriation comes from not being Jamaican.

It's a bit like the Vesta 'curries' from the 1970s.

@RoadToRivendell no he's just chosen to reinvent it, take all of the spices out of it so it is no longer Jerk, but still calling it jerk and profiting from it. It's weird...

It's not authentic, but whether we care about that or not is surely up to the consumer? I'm sure I eat all sorts of inauthentic, delicious foreign food as well as authentic. I'm not sure I even care if my food is authentic to its origins.

And yes, of course he's profiting from it. Surely that's normal for people who sell food.

Food means a lot to some people, in many cultures. Anyone who is Caribbean knows you don't mess with Jerk

He's riceist

@BlueRoses28 see what you did there

He's riceist

Proper dad joke there

Sorry, far too many 'sure's in that post.

I'm a bit on the fence. I like a lot of his recipes and I think he's done a lot of good (as well as annoying a lot of people ).

I can understand why people are upset about a jerk recipe that doesn't have the right ingredients, but then so many people do this: just look at "Thai" and "Italian" food where chefs seem to think that just adding some coconut milk and chilli, or tomatoes and basil makes it authentic.

And Beef Wellington - when's the last time you saw wellies on a cow?

Don’t recall Jamie Oliver claiming he invented jerk rice? People do like to get worked up about nothing on here...

It’s working though as it’s made me want to try it now just to see what all the fuss is about!

White guy claiming to have invented jerk rice

He hasn't claimed he invented it. There are lots of recipes already out there.

and profiting both financially and personally = CULTURAL APPROPRIATION.

I'm not convinced by the profiteering argument either. No one is forced to buy his products. There's nothing stopping other people from producing and marketing Caribbean food.

What about Dr Oetker's Italian pizzas? I'm pretty sure he doesn't come from Naples.

I think the main issue is this "jerk rice" doesn't exist in RL apart from in the head of Jamie and his marketing team.

"Jerk" is just a marinate for chicken or pork so it's pissed off a lot of the Jamaican community because it doesn't bloody exist in their food culture.

Its not even rice and beans.. it's got blooming aubergine in it ffs. feels my eye twitch I've made rice and beans and the only time aubergine and bell peppers are involved would be if they are in the fridge at the same time as you are cooking rice and beans.

The man is a bell -end and thought he could just jump in and steal a specific name which is nothing to do with a rice dish.

It's just a veggie savoury rice. But maybe "Jamies Jamacian flavoured veggie savoury rice" had too many words? :)

@Dorsetdays but he has reinvented it? He's made a new recipe completely and called it jerk!

My grandmother, I can hear her turning in her grave "Dat Jamie Oliver cya cook jerk rice there no such ting. Tell him to come an tays fi mi I’ll show him wah Jerk tastes like"

derxa but it's still a pizza...

I am of Jamaican decent.
I don’t think Levi Roots or Rustie Lee articulated the point very well on breakfast tv this morning. Levi (protecting future collaboration options) and Rustie Lee (idiot...in my opinion!)
To me this is not a case of cultural appropriation.
Back ‘in the day’ my mum would cringe at Rustie Lee supposedly cooking West Indian food on the TV and would describe her shortcutting and techniques as nasty!
To me this situation would be the similar to ‘bastardising ‘ cornish pasties or ‘Melton mobry^ pork pie traditional recipe.
Very similar thing happening with the street food movement...anyone can cook whatever the want however they want, just don’t call it what it is not!
PEACE!

He's done the equivalent of putting a hotdog in a potato and calling it a Melten Mowbray pork pie.

Jamie Oliver is right little sanctimonious turd. But is it cultural appropriation? That isn't for me to answer.

"Jerk" is just a marinate for chicken or pork so it's pissed off a lot of the Jamaican community because it doesn't bloody exist in their food culture. *

This ^