In the attempt to provide students with international engagement opportunities, the Global Scholars Hall’s dining venue has created an unintentionally whitewashed experience of global foods.
The Fresh Marketcafé at GSH seeks to offer variety in its products. It includes international cuisines such as Peruvian and Korean food. However, it has drastically misrepresented these countries’ cuisines and the cultures tied to them. This is commonly known as whitewashing: altering something to benefit or cater to White people.
When I first arrived at the University of Oregon, I was very excited to read “Peruvian Vegan Antojas” in the Global Bowls section of the dining hall menu. As a Peruvian living in the U.S., Peruvian food is very important to me. It is the closest connection I have to my home country, and it intertwines deeply with my culture and identity. It affects me personally and emotionally.
At first, I was taken aback by the name of the bowl; Peruvian Antojas is not a dish we have in Peruvian cuisine. “Antojas” is a misconjugated version of the word “antojar,” meaning “cravings” in Spanish. However, I was more than willing to give it a try. Sadly, I was very disappointed when I realized this dish had no Peruvian relevance.
According to the Fresh Marketcafé menu, Peruvian Vegan Antojas contains roasted Beyond meat, sweet potato, onions, garlic and scallions. It is no surprise the preparation method of these ingredients and the mixture of flavors are not found in standard Peruvian cuisine.
For any marginalized group, there is immense pressure for an individual to represent the entire community. A similar thing happens with ethnic cuisine. The Peruvian Vegan Antojas is the only representation many will have of Peruvian food, so they are unable to notice they are being sold a whitewashed version of it. This creates an inaccurate representation of our culture, influencing people’s perspectives of our nation.
My personal experience led me to question the other Global Bowls served at GSH. As my South Korean friend explained, there is also a controversy with the Kalbi Chicken. “Kalbi,” literally meaning “rib,” refers to a variety of grilled rib dishes in South Korea. However, the Fresh Marketcafé replaced the ribs with chicken and used Kalbi to refer not to the type of dish but instead the marinade, distorting the original Korean essence.
Engaging with diverse cultures, languages and countries is an integral part of developing an open mindset and understanding ways of life across the world. However, it is important to recognize when the intention of including a global experience becomes whitewashing. If someone is going to prepare food from a culture or country that is not their own, it is also their responsibility to prepare it in a way that respects the people who belong to that culture. American fusion is always a valid option, but it must be advertised as such..
Although the Korean and Peruvian students at UO face drastically different issues as minority groups, one experience we all share is our cultures being modified to appeal to Whiteness. The fact remains: It‘a inconsiderate to serve dishes that misrepresent culture and cuisine. Using foreign countries’ names as a marketing strategy to seem “diverse” is insensitive and negatively impacts underrepresented communities who lack a collective voice.
