# oh the humanity - college serves culturally appropriated foods **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 22, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059 "2015-12-22T02:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/1 "2015-12-22T02:17:36Z")
Geez, back in my day we were just happy if the cafeteria food was edible. Perhaps a week or two of typical college student fare: ramen noodles, cold pizza, pb&j, and store brand boxed macaroni and cheese (made with water - no milk or butter) would give them a little perspective. [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/us/oberlin-takes-culture-war-to-the-dining-hall.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/us/oberlin-takes-culture-war-to-the-dining-hall.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/2 "2015-12-22T02:25:13Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > Geez, back in my day we were just happy if the cafeteria food was edible. Hell, that a college Food Service’s “ethnic” or seasonal dishes suck badly AND do not really resemble the real thing is sort of a baseline expectation. But I suppose if 30 years of “man, this grub is a crime against taste” has not brought satisfaction, you try and use some other accusation to see if _that_ works. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/3 "2015-12-22T02:37:25Z")
I think if the various ethnic and national groups at Oberlin want people to experience authentic Vietnamese/Chinese/“Black American” food, let them take the responsibility of preparing an authentic meal for others to try. In college, we attended a party sponsored by the Chinese-American Student Association in which we tried to make our own potstickers. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/4 "2015-12-22T02:38:13Z")
Hah! I remember my college dining hall used to serve something they called “Moroccan Pork”. :smack: 😛 I encourage everyone to click through to the list of demands issued by the Black student group. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/5 "2015-12-22T02:48:42Z")
The other thing I’d tell those students is, “Kid, you voluntarily chose to go to school in a small town in Ohio. You can’t expect the chefs there to prepare authentic sushi or whatever. So don’t get the pseudo-ethnic dishes. Instead, get the stuff you’re not familiar with. Since you have no clue how it’s really meant to be prepared, you’re unlikely to be disappointed.” ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/6 "2015-12-22T02:54:46Z")
This quote cracked me up: > [@](#): > > “I would like to see Bon Appétit fired and replaced by something other than an international corporation,” a student, Kendra Farrakhan, wrote to the paper. “I would like to see the chefs have the respect and autonomy to cook the food they love.” When they bring in the master chefs and dinner at the cafeteria rises to $100 a plate, they can just add it to their student loans. There will be plenty of time to protest the greedy banks oppressing them with student loan debt after they graduate. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/7 "2015-12-22T02:54:57Z")
let me guess, all of the complainers are over-privileged white kids. ---
**Author:** ![mage-girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mage-girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mage-girl)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/8 "2015-12-22T03:47:40Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > Hah! I remember my college dining hall used to serve something they called “Moroccan Pork”. :smack: 😛 > > I encourage everyone to click through to the list of demands issued by the Black student group. Oh my gosh, I \*\*did \*\*read the list. There’s some good ideas in there, but they get buried in just how \*\*long \*\*the document is. I think by trying to include every grievance and solution (they demand), it’s hard to determine what is the \*\*most \*\*important. The college can’t tackle everything at once. Furthermore, some things are going to take more time - or be less feasible - than others. [Not going to get into specifics because this is not Great Debates. :p] ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/9 "2015-12-22T04:01:43Z")
" a Chinese General Tso’s chicken dish made with steamed instead of fried poultry;" Uh, General Tso’s chicken is as Chinese as American cheese. I could see a complaint for using steamed chicken, since that’s a crime against humanity. But it’s not cultural appropriation. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/10 "2015-12-22T04:05:18Z")
Back in the early 70s my dorm would sometimes serve fried chicken and watermelon, not because of a cultural outreach but because they are yummy, even when cooked by dorm cooks. Many of the black students stared longingly but didn’t partake, I assume because they didn’t want to appear like cliched African-Americans (it was the 70s; nobody wanted to be a cliche). The African-Africans didn’t care, and took seconds. ETA: The Afrikan Heritage House? _snicker_ 1974 called and wants its K back. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/11 "2015-12-22T04:09:33Z")
The list gave me a headache. I’m not sure why the college needs to be responsible for this: \*The immediate implementation of a free bussing system for Oberlin Elementary, Middle & High School students, paid for by the College. \* I expect that _The List_ would go to Great Debates and then end up in The Pit. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/12 "2015-12-22T04:11:02Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > let me guess, all of the complainers are over-privileged white kids. It’s always a good idea to read linked articles before commenting. > [@](#): > > Last week, Oberlin’s **black student union** issued a list of demands to campus administrators, which include the creation of segregated safe spaces for black students on campus, and an annual 4 percent increase in black student enrollment. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/13 "2015-12-22T04:21:28Z")
Don’t forget that the annual 4% increase is supposed to result in a 40% increase in six years. I’m assuming none of them are math majors? ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/14 "2015-12-22T04:32:10Z")
> [@mage-girl](#): > > Oh my gosh, I \*\*did \*\*read the list. There’s some good ideas in there, but they get buried in just how \*\*long \*\*the document is. I think by trying to include every grievance and solution (they demand), it’s hard to determine what is the \*\*most \*\*important. The college can’t tackle everything at once. Furthermore, some things are going to take more time - or be less feasible - than others. > > [Not going to get into specifics because this is not Great Debates. :p] Being reasonable is for losers. Any economist (or Donald Trump) can tell you that the way to get what you want is to start with the biggest demand you can make without getting laughed out of the room. Make the other side argue you down to something reasonable. The fact that the college is taking the students’ position seriously indicates that they did not overreach. They knew what they could get away with. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/15 "2015-12-22T07:43:20Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > The fact that the college is taking the students’ position seriously indicates that they did not overreach. They knew what they could get away with. I don’t see anything to indicate that the school is taking the black student union’s list of demands seriously. It has nothing to do with the rest of the article; there’s nothing on the list about food at all. Looks to me like the school taking up the food issue to distract from the bigger issues. If that doesn’t work, they can try tuning the pianos. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/16 "2015-12-22T08:16:10Z")
Ugh, cafeteria companies with a cooking reach that exceeds its grasp. Have had some of those at office cafeterias. I’d much prefer a well-made chicken-fried steak to a badly made bahn mi. > [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > I encourage everyone to click through to the list of demands issued by the Black student group. I came in to post those demands, because…well, you’ll see. > [@](#): > > Earlier this month, students with the school’s black student union protested outside of the dining hall at the Afrikan Heritage House, after demands for more traditional meals, including more fried chicken, went unmet, according to the campus paper, The Oberlin Review. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/17 "2015-12-22T08:26:05Z")
Maybe I’m way off base here, but there seems to be something very wrong, at least in terms of appearances, with a bunch of black kids staging a protest to demand more fried chicken. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/18 "2015-12-22T08:30:02Z")
That wasn’t the only demand, but it _was_ one quoted by the source. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/19 "2015-12-22T12:44:28Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > The list gave me a headache. > > I’m not sure why the college needs to be responsible for this: > \*The immediate implementation of a free bussing system for Oberlin Elementary, Middle & High School students, paid for by the College. \* > > I expect that _The List_ would go to Great Debates and then end up in The Pit. How about this one? _“6.We DEMAND that Black student leaders be provided a $8.20/hr stipend for their continuous organizing efforts around the well being of Black people on Oberlin’s campus, city and beyond.”_ Between things like that and the demands for racial segregation those students are a disgrace. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059/20 "2015-12-22T18:19:09Z")
We demand minimum wage for The Struggle and that The Man pay for it??? This is what you get from all that talk about building a wall and making Mexico pay for it. Hope you’re happy, Donald. But seriously it borders on a self-parody. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-humanity-college-serves-culturally-appropriated-foods/741059.md?page=2)