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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| NBC Menu in Honor of Black History Month |
| 2010-02-05 |
| NBC served up a mountain of controversy Thursday after a cafeteria menu offered fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread in honor of Black History Month. But the African-American chef who planned the menu said she had been trying to cook the menu for years in honor of the month and doesn't understand why everyone was so upset. "All I wanted to do was make a meal that everyone would enjoy, and that I eat myself," chef Leslie Calhoun told the New York Post. The fallout over the menu was prompted by a Tweet from Ahmir Thompson, aka 'Questlove,' the drummer for Jimmy Fallon's house band the Roots. He posted a picture of the menu on Twitter next to the words, "Hmm HR?" The picture sparked a flurry of anger and claims the menu was racist, which led to NBC nixing the cafeteria special. "The sign in the NBCU cafeteria has been removed. We apologize for anyone who was offended by it," tweeted NBC vice president of communications Kevin Goldman. But that didn't stop comedian Wanda Sykes from the bashing the menu on NBC's The Jay Leno Show. "That's how [NBC] celebrates. Oh, no, no, ya'll don't need to know about Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Here's some fried chicken," Sykes said on the show. It was unclear, however, if Questlove regretted igniting all the fuss. "i think i need a twitter break. i done started something. and now i must put out fire," Questlove tweeted after the menu was pulled down. |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #31 speaking of Wanda Sykes, food and racism all in one -- here's a most un-pc, dirty, foul-mouthed and possibly pretty offensive clip for some from the Clerks II movie...watch at your own risk... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhyS_vDHVgI money quote "you can't taste racism..." |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2010-02-05 23:20 |
| #30 Wanda Sykes is of the Vagitarian persuasion. This time, when she says it "tastes like chicken", it is. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-02-05 22:01 |
| #29 #28 "just marking the limits of their territory and power" And we know how feral cats, skunks, and other such varmints* mark their territory. *Nobody uses the word "varmint" in Wisconsin; but after reading the earlier posts, I'm using Uncle Floyd's terminology |
| Posted by: mom 2010-02-05 21:42 |
| #28 Someone is waaaayyy too thin-skinned. Nope. Just marking the limits of their territory and power. If they don't get the response they want, they up the pressure. That they can play the guilt game confirms their power. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-02-05 21:33 |
| #27 Glad it was brought up, but in a place like, say, Kansas City, BBQ would be more likely to be identified as what these people are getting at as black cultural food, than this particular cafeteria menu. Mrs. Sykes, if she is genuinely upset and not just doing topical humor (giving her the benefit, didn't see the clip) then she needs to turn her attention to BET, MTV, and VH1 whose childish and clicheed portrayal of blacks is not only leagues above a regional lunch menu, but also a year long occupation. Perhaps, add a promotion at the end of her joke to guide people to the information about the good, smart, strong black men and women who have been involved in this nation's history since before this was a nation. And yes, Southern Fried Chicken is unstopable. It is everything people make it out to be and more. I will attest that in the midwest there can be quite a few miles between good meals, but KC does have some great food. The BBQ at Royals stadium is fantastic naturally, but in some of the poorer neighborhoods people sell their BBQ at the quick shops and it is usually so good ya don't wanna drive for 15 minutes afterwards because ya ain't thinking correct. At one point KC ranked among the top 5 overweight cities and people were not only unsurprised but for a while the call was, "Yeah we're fat...come find out why". (Not trying to start a BBQ war, even though its an arguement everyone wins...to me its all good, but for some reason I have a personal affinity for that Carolina Style Sauce) |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2010-02-05 21:25 |
| #26 Where I grew up in South Alabama collard greens were a staple as were turnip greens. The turnips were fed to the pigs and the greens were prized. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-02-05 20:53 |
| #25 mojo, collards are members of the wild cabbage family, related to kale (but less pungent). Nutritious, with anti-cancer properties, they also grow in poor soil. They're not cattle feed - in fact, some historians believe that on slaveholding plantations, kitchen slaves added them to the owners' meals, to the distinct benefit of the latter. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-02-05 20:42 |
| #24 Bes, it may not be there now. I frequented the place back in 1979. It was (or still is) near the Hospital. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-02-05 20:39 |
| #23 No, but I will now. My fav Alabama BBQ joint is Jim & Nicks in B'ham. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-05 19:22 |
| #22 Besoeker, ya ever been to the Smokey Pig in Phoenix City, Alabama? Best BBQ I ever tasted. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-02-05 19:06 |
| #21 Check out the 3 layer Key Lime Blondie. I've been going there for it for years. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-05 17:29 |
| #20 Amen to that, Redneck Jim! (Sorry, but the food in the midwest can't compare....I miss real fried chicken and key lime pie.) |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2010-02-05 17:25 |
| #19 Eat more Chicken! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-05 17:07 |
| #18 Racist bastiges! What will it be next - Chinese food at Lunar New Year? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2010-02-05 17:05 |
| #17 Collard, Black-eyed peas, corn... Are we noticing a pattern? It's all cattle feed, and the cheapest stuff around. |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-02-05 17:01 |
| #16 That's not just a "black" menu, it's a southern POOR menu. My entire childhood included just about anything that could be grown or raised by my parents (We didn't raise black-eye peas, but I've spent many a day picking purple-hull, crowder, and lady peas somewhere you picked what you wanted, and paid cash for it at the farmstead). I know plenty of other white families that ate the same menu. For most of those that ate such a menu, it was a sign of self-sufficiency, and independence from grocery stores, just as raising chickens for eggs and a cow for milk. Someone is waaaayyy too thin-skinned. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2010-02-05 16:35 |
| #15 Just for all y'all Bigots out there, that's Southern Food, NOT Black food, we all eat it. (And love it, Y'all haven't had fried chicken untill you've had SOUTHERN fried chicken, Yup it's different and a hell of a lot better than what I ate in Yankeeland.) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-02-05 16:20 |
| #14 Turnip Greens are a hell of a lot better than collards, especially when you add a splash of Pepper/vinegar, gives them some gooood tastin vittles Yup I eat 'em why do you ask. No, I don't care for black eyed peas either, tasteless mush. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-02-05 16:15 |
| #13 Feel free to serve up lox and bagels in honor of Jewish History Month. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2010-02-05 16:11 |
| #12 Fuzzy Zoeller must be LHAO. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2010-02-05 16:02 |
| #11 According to wikipedia, Collard Greens are 'extremely similar' to what the British call Spring Greens or Spring Cabbage. Which I loved as a kid, and miss because nothing similar is available in Oz. I guess its what you are used to. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2010-02-05 15:52 |
| #10 This is how the liberal mind works. How DARE anyone actually serve black people's food during Black History Month. How DARE anyone suggest black people are in any way different, even though their entire existence is predicated upon being different from whites. |
| Posted by: gromky 2010-02-05 15:44 |
| #9 So I guess any restaurant with the audacity to serve fried chicken during this sacred month should be...what...burnt to the ground? For the rest of the month, Chef Leslie, nuthin but Jello. Screw 'em... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-02-05 15:01 |
| #8 Fried chicken and cornbread are good, Parabellum. I can take or leave the black-eyed peas (I certainly take them every New Year's, but not so much the rest of the year). But collards? Yuck! your mileage may vary |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-02-05 14:31 |
| #7 Don't cheat your body Parabellum. Get on down to Minnies Uptown in Columbus. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-05 14:29 |
| #6 Sounds like a pretty good lunch to me, and I'm as white as they come. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2010-02-05 14:27 |
| #5 "All I wanted to do was make a meal that everyone would enjoy" And yet you still served collard greens. Disclaimer: My grandmother and her children, including my mother, all loved collards, hominy, etc., since that's what they grew up eating. My brother and I hated them. "Soul food" (supposedly foods black folks ate) became a big thing during the 1960's, which is also when I noticed "soul food" was the food that poor Southerners ate, no matter what their skin color. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-02-05 14:10 |
| #4 No watermelon. Wrong time of year. All the watermelon available now is imported from Chile. Very expensive. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2010-02-05 14:06 |
| #3 ...menu offered fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread in honor of Black History Month. What, no watermelon? |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2010-02-05 13:54 |
| #2 Repaired link. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-05 13:52 |
| #1 menu offered fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread Minnies Uptown Resturant, Columbus, GA. You'll have to get there before the noon business rush to try the chocolate pie. You'll want to spank yo mama. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-05 13:50 |