Does America demonize Asian food?
How increased racism in the pandemic cost Asian-restaurants $7.4 billion in lost revenue.
Asian food is only “clean” when it’s made by white people.
A Chinese restaurant in NYC was called out for racist marketing language. The owner, who was white, said her versions of Chinese food like “HIGH lo mein” were more “clean” and less “oily,” “salty,” and “icky” than traditional Chinese food.
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
The myth that Chinese food is unhealthy because of flavor-enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG), originated in 1968 when researcher Robert Ho Man Kwok wrote on how he got sick after eating Chinese food.
His symptoms, including numbness, headache, dizziness, and palpitation was later coined as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.”
“You know what causes Chinese-restaurant syndrome? Racism.” - Anthony Bourdain
This misconception that MSG was toxic remains today, even when the FDA, EU, and the UN have deemed it safe.
Donald Trump
Trump created a lot of stigma through rhetoric like “the China flu” or “Kung Flu.”
In areas where Trump support was over 75%, a study found people avoided Asian restaurants at higher rates. But racist attitudes towards Asian food started before the COVID-era.
“Yellow Peril” from the 1800s
Consuming dog meat has been a practice in various cultures where they weren't seen as domesticated family pets, including Greeks, Romans, and even the French during World War II. However, in the US, the association of Asian food and dog meat stems from stereotypes dating back to the 1800s, during a period of fear or xenophobia towards Asian people.
Just because a food is different does not mean it is unsafe.
What is truly unsafe is racism - as we’ve seen increased vandalism and discrimination towards Asian resturants post-pandemic. Food is part of a person’s identity. Racist language towards a food, even as a joke, is racism towards a people and their culture.
Stop the Hate Program Funding
The California Government Code § 8260 authorizes the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), in consultation with the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs (CAPIAA), to administer the Stop the Hate (STH) Program that awards funding to qualified nonprofit organizations to provide support and services to victims and survivors of hate incidents and hate crimes and their families and facilitate hate incident or hate crime prevention measures.
Funded Support and Services may include:
Direct services for victims and survivors of hate incidents and hate crimes and their families, including mental and complementary health services; wellness and community healing; legal services; navigation, case management, and referrals;
Prevention services, including arts and cultural work, youth development, senior safety and escort programs, safety planning, training; and cross-racial alliance work; and
Intervention services, including outreach, training, restorative justice, coordination with local government and institutional partners, and coordinated regional rapid response.
Resources
CA vs. Hate: CA vs. Hate is a way to report hate incidents or hate crimes online or over the phone and receive support and resources without necessarily involving law enforcement. People who report a hate incident or hate crime through this service will be connected with a professional trained in culturally competent communication and trauma-informed practices.
California State Library’s Ethnic Media Outreach Grant: The Ethnic Media Outreach Grant aims to build public awareness of the Stop the Hate Program. Grants are awarded to ethnic media outlets and collaboratives serving communities that are historically vulnerable to hate incidents and hate crimes.
California Department of Justice’s Hate Crime Resources Page: This page provides information on the differences between hate crimes and hate incidents, tips on how to spot a hate crime, and help for what to do if you are the target of a hate crime.
Stop AAPI Hate’s Community Resources Page: This page provides resources for mental health, safety tips, and guides to help you know your rights if you are facing discrimination.
California Attorney General’s 2022 Hate Crime Report: This report presents statistics on hate crimes reported by California law enforcement agencies that occurred during 2022 with prior years included for context. These statistics include the reported number of hate crime events, hate crime offenses, victims of hate crimes, and suspects of hate crimes.
AAPI Equity Alliance’s Resources for the Monterey Park Shootings