How You Have a THUG Kitchen and You’re a White Yuppie from the Valley?
In case you were on vacation to Mars and missed it, a few days ago Epicurious magazine revealed the true identities of the people behind the popular vegan foodie blog Thug Kitchen. Their schtick was basically healthy vegan food delivered in a manner that was an imitation of some hard core ghetto hoodrat. Full of expletives and streety observations “the fuck?” and things like that, most people who visited the site believed the creator to be one or more young urban males (aka black), pushing a health building agenda in a manner which reflected the way they might speak amongst themselves.
I looked at the site last year. Wasn’t impressed with the language or the recipes. I mean it was cute the first two or three recipes, then it got old. I hear enough cussing just driving through the streets of Oakland, I don’t need to read it online too!
Plus what struck me as odd was the type of food they cooked (asparagus risotto anyone?), and the delivery. It was a bit overdone…. like someone trying too hard to be cool, street and hard, but not really succeeding.
Anyway, this week it all came out and people seem to be falling into one of three camps on the issue:
- Disgusted at the fact that two young whites think it cool to go around referring to themselves (two of the most un-cool, un-dangerous, un-scary people on earth) as “thug” anything. Eye rolling and throwing up in the mouth a little were the comments from this crew.
- Those who claim its no big deal and that they were not trying to be black and that white people cuss too and they are going to buy the cookbook regardless. Of course missing the whole point of the THUG thing. Remember when Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was called a thug by a sports interviewer? Political commentator Jon Stewart and Richard Sherman broke that mess down to the nth degree. So we gave these clueless excuse making folks the flick finger and sent them on their way.
- Then there are those who recognize yet another example of whites attempting to appropriate black culture, black language, and well, just blackness period, for their own profit. These whites use blackness for what they perceive to be of benefit, then they go on back to where they came from – not having to deal with police harassment, police brutality, racism on the job, security guards following you around in stores, getting arrested for “shopping while black,” or any of the other unpleasantness of being black in America.
All in all, I think those two should be ashamed of themselves. But they aren’t. Instead they are going to be laughing all the way to the bank.
Category: Veganism and African Americans
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
I was looking for a good salad recipe and remembered their website from a while back. And suddenly was all… oh wait a minute… and went to google a picture of the authors. Suspicions confirmed.