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U.S. NEWS Saturday 13 april 2019

NYC Chinese eatery heats up cultural appropriation debate

By TERRY TANG masquerading as Chinese
Associated Press food” in the Midwest. The
A New York City restau- “Bizarre Foods” host later
rant owner who touted her apologized.
“clean” American-Chinese Ramsay, who is British, is
cuisine and derided Chi- opening the Japanese-in-
nese dishes as swimming spired Lucky Cat restaurant
in “globs of processed but- in London this summer. In a
ter,” sodium and MSG is re- press release in February,
newing the long-simmering the “Kitchen Nightmares”
debate about stereotyping star promised a restaurant
and cultural appropriation that would be “revolution-
in the restaurant world. ary” and “authentic,” but
Arielle Haspel, who is white many noted the lack of
and a certified health Asians in key executive po-
coach, told the dining web- sitions.
site Eater that she wanted On the flipside, there are
to offer modified, “clean” chefs who have earned
versions of typical Chinese reputations as visionaries
menu items. In a now de- for mixing cuisines. Chef
leted Instagram post, Has- Roy Choi elevated the
pel said that a Chinese food truck when his Kogi
noodle dish, lo mein, can BBQ hit the streets of Los
make people feel “bloat- In this Thursday, April 11, 2019 photo, pedestrians walk past the Lucky Lee’s restaurant in the Angeles in 2008. Choi com-
ed and icky.” Online critics Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York. bined his Korean roots with
pounced, including New Associated Press tortillas and came up with
York Baohaus restaurateur Haspel came off as relying a myth that Chinese-Amer- “Shame on us for not being mouthwatering munchies
and author Eddie Huang on age-old stereotypes of ican restaurants use MSG. smarter about cultural sen- like Korean short rib tacos.
who dismissed Lucky Lee’s Chinese food being unsani- Most cut it out of their kitch- sitivities. Being against cultural ap-
as “the Fyre Fest of food tary or grotesque. It was es- ens in the 1970s because it She did not return mes- propriation doesn’t neces-
& ‘wellness,’” on the pecially tone-deaf in New was so unpopular, making sages from the AP seeking sarily mean being against
restaurant’s Instagram York City where most locals Haspel’s reference prob- comment. anyone cooking outside of
page. Haspel has since regularly eat Chinese food, lematic, Ku said. White TV chefs like Andrew their own ethnicity or cul-
apologized, but her com- he added. Haspel was apologetic in Zimmern and Gordon Ram- ture, said Ku, the professor.
ments are the latest mis- “These are long-standing an interview Friday with the say have been skewered It’s the line between ap-
step in a succession of res- tropes that have followed New York Times . for their respective Asian propriation and apprecia-
taurateurs and TV chefs specifically Chinese food “We were never trying to restaurants (both of which tion where things can get
who have been criticized more than any other cui- do something against the also use the adjective tenuous.
for insensitivity when deal- sine,” said Ku, who has writ- Chinese community. We “lucky” in their name). “What people are react-
ing with food from a culture ten about the cultural poli- thought we were comple- Zimmern last year said in ing to is saying ‘For genera-
that’s not their own. tics of Asian food in the U.S. menting an incredibly im- an interview that his Lucky tions, Chinese in America
Robert Ku, a professor of “What she’s focused on is portant cuisine, in a way Cricket restaurant in Min- were doing stuff but they
Asian American studies and health and being clean, that would cater to people nesota was saving the did it horribly. As a white
food studies at Binghamton which implies the others that had certain dietary souls of people who dine person, I can do it better,’”
University, New York, said were not.” He also said it’s requirements,” she said. at “(expletive) restaurants Ku said.q

State probes doctor it says branded women in sex slave case

By TOM HAYS and DAVID tion Friday. manding answers because who haven’t been identi- will. Mack, best known for
KLEPPER Officials launched the in- “the branding was a vol- fied. Health officials de- her role as a young Super-
Associated Press quiry into suspected pro- untary free expression of clined to comment on the man’s close friend on the
NEW YORK (AP) — Health fessional misconduct by personal beliefs that they status of her case. series “Smallville,” admitted
officials are investigating Roberts in response to a engaged in as a manifesta- Details of the inquiry sur- she obtained compromis-
a doctor they say brand- 2017 complaint alleging tion of their right to private faced as Raniere nears trial ing information and images
ed women under unsafe “the physician participated association.” on charges he used his cult- of two unidentified wom-
conditions at the behest in the initiation ceremony Roberts hasn’t been like organization to form a en — called “collateral”
of the spiritual leader of a for a secret society, which charged with a crime. subgroup of sex slaves at within the group — that she
secretive self-help group involved the branding of But the court documents his command. The legal threatened to make public
based in upstate New York, female initiates with a cau- made clear she is under in- dispute also demonstrates if they didn’t perform “so-
according to court docu- tery pen without anesthe- vestigation on suspicion of the sharp divide between called acts of love.”
ments about the accusa- sia and under duress,” ac- violating state standards for followers who have refused Another woman charged
tions. cording to a ruling last year doctors by branding sever- to betray someone known in the alleged conspiracy,
The papers containing the by Acting Supreme Court al women with the symbols within NXIVM as “Van- Lauren Salzman, admitted
revelations stem from a le- Justice Kimberly O’Connor. representing the initials of guard” and those who in a guilty plea that she held
gal fight pitting the state The judge allowed the ad- Keith Raniere, the onetime have admitted to enabling a woman from Mexico hos-
Department of Health ministrative investigation to leader of the group called his alleged dark side. tage in an upstate home
against women it says have go forward, rejecting argu- NXIVM. On Monday, TV actress Alli- for more than two years
refused to answer questions ments by lawyers for eight Email messages seeking son Mack pleaded guilty to under threat of having her
about Dr. Danielle Roberts. women — identified only as comment were left Friday charges she helped recruit deported “if she did not
The Times Union of Albany “Jane Does” — that they with lawyers representing and manipulate women to complete labor requested
first reported the investiga- could defy subpoenas de- Roberts and the women, serve Raniere against their by myself and others.”q