To think it’s NOT racist to not like food from another culture?

[GimmeeCaffeine]

Hi all. Just wanting to get some opinions on this!

On a Facebook group where people rate each other’s food, someone recently posted a picture of some Indian food their Indian friend had cooked. Someone commented ‘Yuk’. Another person then accused this commenter of being racist because they said the food looked disgusting.

Whilst I disagree with the commenter (I thought it looked nice!) I don’t necessarily think it’s racist to think a certain dish from another culture looks/is disgusting. I mean, I don’t like sushi but I’m certainly not racist against the Japanese.

Am I wrong here?

Definitely not racist.
I love Indian curry but I can honestly say I’ve never looked at it and thought ‘that looks yummy’. It tastes and smells delicious but it doesn’t look pleasant.
So no YANBU

I’ve had Indian friends say British food is bland and boring is that racism?

don't like Linda McCartney's vegetarian foods, I think they taste synthetic and greasy. Does this make me racist against the scots?

Haha Linda McCartney is as Scottish as McFly!! Surely you don't think anyone with a Mc in their name is Scottish?

Saying yuk is a bit rude. It's not racist though.

Some people love to virtue signal though. It's quite dull.

Every racist I know will happily inhale a curry.

I personally do not enjoy Indian, Chinese, Thai, Austrian or Vietnamese cuisine cooked in this country. Will give it a go when I visit and am often pleasantly surprised, but given the choice I prefer modern European, Italian and french cuisine.

I think it all depends on the arrangment...individually the currys look boring but they look really appetising on the tray like that.

Bit like a finger sandwich looks more exciting on a stand for afternoon tea than just by itself.

It may be rude, but why should it be racist too?

@GimmeeCaffeine
You know, of course, that Rate my Plate is a pisstake site, though? Every time anyone posts something obviously fabulous to look at, there are comments re "Fuck off to a proper food site' etc. There are people who post deliberately horrible/blatantly from a restaurant.

My ILs are like this. They won’t eat anything ‘foreign’ to the point that they refer to pasta spirals as ‘those slimy worm things your kids eat’. It is partly down to growing up in poverty making them cautious about eating anything unfamiliar but there are undoubtedly racist undertones to it.

It's 'foodist' if anything.

I don't like goat's cheese but I'm quite fond of goats.

It depends on the context.

"I hate Japanese food" = most likely ignorant and probably racist, because I doubt that person has tried every Japanese dish.

"I hate sushi" = not racist and perfectly fine. Saying you dislike any specific dish is normal.

It wouldn't be normal for a person to write off all British food just because they tried sheperd's pie once, you know?

Saying 'Yuk' on Rate my plate probably isn't racist, everyone slags off each others food on there.
Saying 'Yuk' on FB post to someone's personal page about food their neighbour made is rude and possibly is racist.

I think most of us who grew up in multicultural areas know the polite thing to do us say a quick "no thankyou, i've just eaten" if offered something you don't fancy from another culture (or your own). I think your fb friend is somewhat lacking in social skills. Can you send her on a course or summat?

Posting a photo of any meal and getting a YUK in reply ..how in the world can anyone possssssibly read ‘racist’ into that ffs. Unless you are LOOKING for it ..it wasn’t there. Fucking drives me nuts how everyone jumps on the racist wagon all the time. A beautiful plate of rice pudding would make my DH start sweating with pleasure. I’d say ‘ fuck that shit’. Am I racist. No I just fucking hate rice pudding. I also hate Brussels sprouts and German white sausage. Pretty much eat anything else. Am I racist ..no. Get a grip

@LagunaBubbles is makes you racist against Norfolk ;-)

Saying 'yuck' was just plain rude, and I can see how it has more of a racist undertone than just saying 'I don't like that'. The latter is expressing a preference, which is fine. Saying 'yuck' implies that the food is inherently disgusting.

Some food is disgusting though. When I lived in Japan, lots of people were disgusted by natto. I know some people call black pudding disgusting, but they are British, so it can't be racist really?

It really isnt racist to say you dont like any type of cuisine because you havent tried every dish of that culture. It simply means you haven't enjoyed what you have tried and are therefore not particularly interested in trying any more.
And in reverse because you enjoy a chicken tikka from the take away on a Friday night it doesn't mean you aren't racist because you love Indian food.

I think that social media is making us censor ourselves too much (well, except things like Mumsnet that are anonymous). Everything is so bloody woke now we can’t even call out the fact that our current prime minister is a bloody foreigner.

I think it is hugely rude and quite possibly has racist undertones. Either way, totally unnecessary. Basic etiquette is not to comment negatively on other people’s food.

Food doesn't care if people doesn't 't like it. It doesn't have feeling or race therefore it cannot be racist.
People can be rude about the food but you cannot be racist if you don't like it. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I cant eat Indian food and I am perfectly justified in saying that because it makes me ILL I have gastric reflux and even a hint of spice in my food is bad for me I once had something called butter chicken in a restaurant because everyone said it was mild, I liked it actually but I woke up at 3am in agony and was ill for most of the next day even my usual medication did not work, I also can't eat Chili and some Chinese food sorry but that's how it is, don't think I would have said yuk online, but my dislike of certain food is not racist.

I appreciate that being White British myself means that I am very privileged and that may blinker me somewhat.

Please don't say that ever again sounds so pedantic and ridiculous. Not all white British people are privileged. Plenty of poor white people in this country...

Agree with @zeezee3 it’s complete over analysis of a single word.
It might have been a vegetarian saying “yuck” at a chicken curry.

Wish people would get a life sometimes. Finding offence in bloody everything and it winds people up and makes people so angry. Which in effect is what people who get offended want, a reaction from everyone.

Whatever happened to just having an opinion when in this case you’re clearly being asked for it on a ‘rate my bloody dinner page’ 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

It wouldn't be normal for a person to write off all British food just because they tried sheperd's pie once, you know

Entirely normal. I had a German friend who refused to come to the UK after a traumatic visit to a British host family where he had to eat white bread. I hate white bread too but he was an intelligent lad...

I invited him to my wedding. I was sooooo close to him coming back here but he backed out at the last minute (not because of white bread!) I've not seen him since uni but do wonder if he has ever come to the UK since!