Celebrate Black History Month With…Ham Hocks?
Posted by: Persia Ali
Filed in:
news
11:15AM, Tuesday February 17th 2009
So we’ve all heard of celebrating the holidays with traditional food items. Thanksgiving has turkey. Christmas has ham. St. Patty’s Day has beer and, uh, corned beef. Black History Month apparently has collard greens and catfish. Rainbow Grocery Store decided to print the dumbest ad featuring “black people food” in what they consider to be an attempt at celebrating Black History Month. The selection of food is supposed to be what the typical black person eats. So pork hocks and frying chickens are what black people eat on a regular basis? Because I know it’s not in my diet. All they are missing in the ad is grits and chitlins. There’s nothing wrong with eating those food items, but why are such items like seafood and ham considered to be black people food? Do white people have white food? A company rep explains, “This ad was intended to celebrate Black History Month and African American culture by sharing with our customers some of the contributions African Americans have made to the grocery industry.” Mm, ‘kay. Click past the jump to see the full ad! [Gawker]
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ExGirlfriend
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 11:28 am: [report]
I got this ad in the mail a few weeks ago. I made a joke about it to my BFF asking her if this is what she eats. She then proceeded to slap me, yell something about how she’s from Ethiopia and asked if we could go to IHOP because she was hungry.
alezsu
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 11:35 am: [report]
I gotta say, I don’t think this ad is really racist. It would be one thing if it was like “Black History Month: Sale on Fried Chicken!!” but it’s not - it seems like a pretty respectful and well-researched placement of foods that are historically representative of either African American history & culture or the contributions of African Americans to the grocery industry…
Ham hocks and fried chicken? No, all Black people don’t eat those on a regular basis, but all Irish folks don’t eat bangers and mash every day, either. However, historically, these are foods that were a big part of our culture and life. As our African American ancestors rose from slavery to poverty to Jim Crow, they didn’t always have access to the best or most nutritious foods or meats. But they inventively created meals from what little they had that were filling and delicious, and continue to nourish our survival today.
And yeah, everybody eats seafood, but scallops, for example, were generally treated as a scavenger’s food in the past; such “poor people’s food” items became staples in African American cuisine, for the reasons I stated above. Catfish, for example, were plentiful in the muddy lakes and rivers that African Americans were often forced to live near, and these, too, remain a staple of Black Southern cuisine today.
The peanut butter is clearly there b/c of GWC, and I’m guessing the bologna and sausages are there b/c of the dude who made advances in meat curing.
So…I think this ad is OK.
doridori
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 11:35 am: [report]
The only things missing from this ad are a big old picture of someone in black face holding a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin while shucking and jiving.
It’s like watching two giant steps forward for our country voting President Obama into office… and then three steps back with this advertisement. (Racist idiots.)
alezsu
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 11:39 am: [report]
Whoa, you think this ad undoes Obama’s election? That’s one powerful circular!
Yeah, still think it’s clumsy, and probably could be presented differently, but not racist.
Wendy Atterberry
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 12:22 pm: [report]
Actually, white people do have “white people food.” It’s called sushi.
joyy
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 12:29 pm: [report]
Uh, sushi is Japanese cuisine, not “white people food.” A lot of white people like it, but come on, try thinking before typing.
Actual examples of “white people food” could range from regional American favorites in primarily white areas ... a lot of which comes from ethnic heritages though (like German or Polish food).
Amelia
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 12:31 pm: [report]
@joyy I think Wendy was joking.
Is a BLT on white toast white people food?
joyy
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 12:35 pm: [report]
@Amelia - interesting ... jokes are usually funny!
BLT ... hmm ... don’t know the history on it but very well could be. I’m no food expert.
Milla
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 12:39 pm: [report]
Now I’m trying to imagine a circular with white people food. Sushi (of course), prosciutto panninis, fettuccine with sun dried tomatoes . . . or would we go the casserole, mac and cheese, hamburger route?
Yeah, this whole thing’s a world of no.
Wendy Atterberry
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 12:40 pm: [report]
Well, you clearly aren’t a joke expert either.
One Big Voice
wrote on February 17 2009 @ 12:49 pm: [report]
Ok, I don’t get how this ad can be construed as racist.
Unless I missed something, it’s promoting awareness of Black History month, and even gives readers some info on some notable black historic figures. Nowhere in the ad does it say that the food shown in the pictures are “what black people eat”.
BTW, does anyone know what the “7-UP” cake is at the bottom right corner? I can’t quite make out what it says ... I’m guessing 7-UP “Creme”? Sounds almost as enticing as the Hawaiian Punch cake!
Eva
wrote on February 18 2009 @ 11:01 pm: [report]
@ One Big Voice
I work at a grocery store. We carry the ‘soda’ cakes. There is also a Cherry Vanilla dr. Pepper one and an Orange Crush one. They are all disgusting. Normally when I put cupcakes on the breakroom table the stockboys wolf them down in 20 mins. The soda cupcakes just sat there for days and days.
One Big Voice
wrote on February 19 2009 @ 10:24 pm: [report]
@Eva
“for days and days”? Perhaps,Perhaps,Perhaps they were in a Haze Of Love? Sorry, little inside joke for any Cake (the band) fans out there. Thanks for clearing that up. They do sound pretty unappetizing, although when they start running out of “secret ingredients” on Iron Chef maybe there will be a “Battle: Cherry Vanilla Dr.Pepper”
I would watch that episode—or should I say epiSODA! Now THAT’S a joke, am I right people? (silence, followed by angry crowd noise)Ow, stop throwing rotten veggies at me :( ... sheesh, no accounting for some folks’ taste
Court
wrote on February 23 2009 @ 09:12 pm: [report]
I’d like to point out as an employee of Rainbow foods, that we also hate on the Irish, great sales on corn beef & cabbage around St. Patricks day, Oh Catholics too, as there will be good deals for lent. Uh oh, whats gonna happen in a few months when they run the ad for Cinco de mayo celebrations?
http://cbslocalblogs.prospero.com/wcco_jasonblog?entry=342