This, I have to admit, is a tough one.
On Martin Luther King Jr. day, Atlantic City\’s Borgata Hotel had a special menu for their Metropolitan Restaurant, which included fried chicken and collard greens.
On its face, that looks like an obvious stereotype (all that was missing was some barbeque, and watermelon for dessert).
But it may not be that simple.
According to a senior VP of the hotel, a) these were some of Martin Luther King\’s favorite foods (certainly plausible, given that he grew up in the south) and b) the restaurant Manager, herself Black, chose them to honor Dr. King.
My take? A reasonable argument can be made for either side.
On the racist side, it is true that fried chicken and collards have often been used as symbols of a negative stereotype. But on the non-racist side, Blacks are hardly the only ones for whom “typical” foods are offered at specific times. Illustratively, how many restaurants serve corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick\’s Day – and have you ever heard any Irish group voicing an objection about it?
The bottom line? Opinionated as I usually am, I have to say I\’m on the fence for this one.
What do you think?
