>

A black sixth grade student complained.
What’s wrong with chicken and waffles? >

The problem is when someone responds to Black History Month by pushing stereotypes.
Outside of context, nothing would be wrong. >

is chicken and waffles a stereotype?
I'm honestly asking. I've never heard of that. >

It had way less to do with Chicken and Waffles being served, and them serving it with watermelon.
They could have served it with any other fruit and it would be a non-issue. >

Chicken waffles and watermelon are all delicious. As a black person this seems kind of a hyperbolic complaint.
I get the thought behind it but unless they served it in black face I don’t see the issue.
😂 >

The black students at the middle school took issue with it.  That's where the push came from and it was specifically regarding adding watermelon to it. >

If the black kids took this at a dig at them, I should imagine it's not a school where they feel valued most other days either >

Honoring Black History month by emphasizing stereotypes is pretty tone deaf.
Shit man, I will fuck up some chicken, waffles and watermelon.  Just can't imagine someone thought that was a good idea for the first day of black history. >

This. >

For those asking what the problem is with chicken and waffles -

They served something different from what was planned for the day, and the meal is attached to stereotypes.
They went out of their way to serve a watermelon dessert, which has been confirmed as being an extremely rare item.
The company did something similar in 2018, and terminated employees who organized it, indicating there was at least something going on that shouldn't have occurred. [src]
They also had an issue in 2011 (I wasn't aware of it until reading this article, only the 2018 issue) with UC California-Irvine.

If it had already been planned and was a common meal, I don't think there'd have been an issue. But for them to change the planned meal on the first day of Black History Month and to include items that were outside the norm is a really bad look for the company and its employees at that school.
It's also telling that this is the third time (that we know of) that this has occurred with the same company. >

Were green meals used to subjugate and disparage an entire race like watermelon was?
What about pasta-stuffed pizza, or tacos?  Either of those specifically used to disparage an entire race?
No?  Then none of those examples compare.
Aww, what's wrong?  Don't like being called out for using the argument racist people do?
Too fucking bad. >

Not the person you responded to, and I am still learning American history as I go. How did white Americans use watermelons to disparage black Americans? >

This is unacceptable!  Under no circumstances should anyone ever apologize for serving chicken and waffles.  The only acceptable apology is for not serving more chicken and waffles. >

I worked in NYC schools for a while. What they should be apologizing for at most schools is serving a couple frozen processed chicken nuggets on a half-toasted eggo and calling it "chicken and waffles". >

That's not chicken and waffles! That's a being poor and just eating whatever you have in the freezer kind of meal. >

I mean that's more or less the kind of budget public schools are working with. Not to mention that the people working in these kitchens are paid extremely poorly as well. Like 99% of problems in education in the USA, the solution is "we need more money". But hey as long as we can make sure grown men get paid millions of dollars to throw balls around and Jeff Bezos can play astronaut who cares about kids, right? >

Keep in mind if you're looking at that and going "wow that's actually a good pay" keep in mind this is New York City, one of the most expensive spots in the country to live in. I was a high school special education teacher there for five years (and lived there before with even lower paying jobs for 7-8 years). Even if you're at the upper level of that pay scale you're pretty much putting 50% of your income straight into rent, even if you live in a cheap area. >

Definitely, it’s not easy to live here. >

Definitely isn't. I lived there 2006-2019, ended up landing in Michigan after a brief stint in North Carolina, I'm happy I spent such a large chunk of formative adult years there (I moved there right after college) because as someone who grew up in a small, non-diverse New England rural town it was a huge contrast. These days though when people ask if I miss NYC my answer is "all the things I miss I can get when I go visit". >

There's nothing wrong with chicken and waffles on any day. >

No, but there's a huge fucking issue with serving watermelon to black students on the first day of BHM...you know, the actual issue. >

Where do you even get fresh watermelon from in February? It's not in season until the end of summer. >

Likely grown in south America somewhere. >

The one I got over the weekend said it came from Chile. >

Apologize for what.  This is stupid. >

They changed the menu to serve Chicken and Waffles and Watermelon in honor of BHM. >

To be fair, per the article...

"While our menu was not intended as a cultural meal, we acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service," the Aramark statement said.

However...

Aramark has found itself in similar situations in years past, including an incident in 2011 where UC California-Irvine, an Aramark client, was criticized for serving a "MLH Holiday Special" that featured chicken and waffles.

So, yeah, there's something rotten in Aramark. >

I love what you did there. >

Chicken and waffles is fucking awesome >

Chicken and Waffles do not go with watermelon. That’s the issue. This was intentionally a racist joke. >

At this point the motivation was to be entirely racist. Nobody is going to believe anyone they didn’t know. >

Can't believe if I'll be forced to not eat any of those on Black History Month. >

exactly the shit only whites can be offended about in the name of others. no sane men should deny gods gift of chicken and waffles whatever the occasion.
it may be a stereotype you recognize for racism, but it also, is fucking delicious. >


It's a stupid stereotype that's not even actually racist.

Except it IS a racist stereotype, has been for centuries, and continues to be so.
Just because you don't like that it is, doesn't change that fact.
Additionally, no one uses the foods of the cultures you presented as a negative facet of their identity...and in fact this is the EXACT argument you see racist people use to say "it's ok" to be shitty towards black people. >

I'm not explaining something to someone making obviously inflammatory commentary in bad faith.  You know the issue isn't with chicken and waffles specifically, as it's been pointed out COUNTLESS times throughout this comment section.  It's the inclusion of watermelon, a known negative stereotype.
You being ignorant of history isn't anyone's problem, but yours.
As for the rest of this tantrum?
Ok, 🤡.
Edit: Imagine that.  Blocking me after making a comment...sorry, throwing a tantrum.  Comment:

The only one doing anything here in bad faith is the one with their silly clown emojis who refuses to support their point and instead prefers to sling mud.

My reply:
You came in here, making wildly racist claims about a topic you're obviously ignorant on, you double down on the racism and ignorance, and when called out and treated with the same respect as you have shown to others...you go into toddler mode.
Nah, I think I'm pretty fucking spot on with my assessment of you. >

I'm personally offended that 
a. we are eaten
b. people are offended because we are eaten >

Sir, you have a license to cluck. >

I can understand where they're coming from but as a (former) southerner you should never have to apologize for chicken and waffles. >

agreed. if they are good. now bad... then yeah... >

... Until it's realized all the cooks are black. 
Ah, narrative shift, nothing to see here >

Tell that to the black student who was upset being served watermelon then. >

Would it be ok on the 17th ? >

One of my few bright memories from elementary school were of getting to eat different foods from different places during holidays and what not. I'll never be able to eat another latke again, but, I digest,it seems like a foolhardy thing to get pissy about. It's a lot better than my Norwegian ass serving Lutefisk. >

You can make latkes, it's pretty easy >

I’m white and grew in the south, personally I have a hard time understanding how this is wrong. Literally everyone besides probably the vegans moving from California love fried foods, for fucks sake some of the most popular items at the Texas State Fair have been fried candy bars and fried BUTTER. I literally eat fried chicken and waffles a few times a month and that’s because I’m on a diet and am trying to lose weight. When I was a kid when they were in season we literally used to go through at least one watermelon a week and I’m not taking about those small snack size ones. Pro tip if you have a waffle maker; cornbread waffles. Enough said… The only thing they were missing was fried okra which is the only side dish anyone ever needs.
Also not every stereotype has to have a negative connotation. I’m Jewish and most of us like stereotypical foods. When I was a kid and went to shul after the service there would usually be a spread with bagels, schmear, sometimes lox, kugel, gefilte fish (absolutely disgusting), and when we were really lucky a cholent. >

It’s the watermelon 🍉 and the chicken 🍗 combination that is offensive. Not the chicken and waffles part. Weird headline. >

They're mad because it should be a weekly menu item! >

Hold the phone. Aren't waffles like European? Explain like i'm five how waffles are racist while I make me a Belgian waffle with lingonberry and whipped cream. Hold the phone again.  Nutella and whipped cream. (Don't have any lingonberries handy) Ok, now explain. >

It’s a stereotype that black people like friend chicken. Also they served watermelon. Which is stereotypically associated being enjoyed by blavk people.
It’s sort of like having turkish week and serving shishkabob, indian week and serving curry, greek week serving chicken fries and tzatziki and so on and so forth >

Watermelon is not associated with being enjoyed by black people… everyone likes a watermelon on a summer day. >

How about you google it real quick, just to make sure >

No need to do so, I live in a country where most people are white and everyone likes watermelon anyway. >

Absurdly stupid association, made up by people who want to create conflicts for fun.
Everyone likes watermelons, independent on skin colour.
I would be happy for a slice of watermelon for lunch, and it has nothing to do with my race. >

Sure. Everyone likes it.
But you're literally ignoring that it was a stereotype for so long that we have newspaper cartoons 150 years old making fun of it.
I agree it's a stupid association, but it's a real stereotype: even the Larry David bit is making fun of it.
"It's a stupid stereotype so it doesn't exist" isn't the best take on it. >

This made-up “issue” takes attention away from real racism such as violence or doctors thinking black people feel less pain. >

I don't think it was made up so much as just tone deaf.
Everyone likes chicken and waffles.
Maybe not doing it for a special Black history event seems like a reasonable compromise. >

Only offensive if they were shitty (which they probably were) >

Isn't this an example of being racially sensitive (the good type of steriotype), as opposed to insensitive (the bad type)?  That's a good thing!
It's like serving a man a steak on the first date.  You're being sensitive to their gender by getting a positive steriotype right >

The issue isn't the chicken and waffles.  It's the fact that it was served with watermelon.
Nuance is a thing. >

I guess it’s only ok to stereotype food if there is a nationality behind it 🤣🤣🤣 >

"How can we show black students we care this month?  Ideas?"
"We could reduce them to food stereotypes?"
"Nailed it.  Get to work." >

If done right, this could actually be pretty cool. Problem is, they'd never do it right. >

Imagine being this childish...then throwing blatant racism on top of it. >

I'm just curious are black people complaining or are white people complaining for black people ?