This cookbook is amazing. I didn't bother marking the recipes I wanted to make out of it because I wanted to make every single one. And every one I've made has turned out delicious. And you should absolutely, unequivocally, never, ever buy this book.
First, the review. This book is amazing. I had heard, obliquely, of the Thug Kitchen blog*, but never looked it up. I also heard all about the controversy surrounding the cookbook when the authors, who had previously been anonymous, went public to promote the book. If you missed any of it, you can read about it here and here, and a very nuanced and important critique here, by Bryant Terry, a prominent African-Amercian vegan chef and cookbook author. (Honestly, you can stop reading what I'm writing right now and just read Terry's piece. He says what I am trying to say, and says it beautifully.) Up until this point, I had not seen the website or cooked any of their recipes. After the controversy came out, I looked up the site and gave a few of the recipes a spin, to see what all the fuss was about. (And falling prey, no doubt, to the old adage, "there is no such thing as 'bad' press.") But back to the cookbook itself...
The book caught my eye amidst a display of cookbooks as I was wandering through a big box bookstore. I picked it up and flipped through - literally fanning the pages - and every recipe that caught my eye made me think, "Yum! I want to try that!" I tend to get into food ruts, and I've been feeling a little monotonous lately, so I am constantly on the look-out for new ideas. And, given that I have two young children at home, anything that is fairly fast, nutritious, adventurous, and will withstand the "help" offered by a three year old while cooking is fairly high on the "must-try" list. The first recipe I made was a lemony red lentil soup that is outstanding. I rapidly made 4 more meals out of the book, including Vietnamese style noodles, ramen style noodles, a sesame-ginger tofu marinade that is, hands down, the best marinade I have ever had on tofu, and a fantastic chickpea salad sandwich filling. I am not exaggerating when I say that every meal I have attempted out of this book has turned out amazing. Like most vegetarian/vegan food, it borrows from many ethnic cuisines - Asian, Mediterranean, Latino - and makes them easily accessible. Plus, it has gotten me out of my food rut, which is itself a small miracle. And I say again: you should absolutely not purchase this book.
Given the negative press, I was reluctant to buy the book. I only half-assedly followed the controversy as I was extremely pregnant at the time and had other things taking my time and attention, so I didn't really understand the full scope of the issues surrounding the book. I had a discussion about it with some friends at a vegan Oktoberfest gathering we had at our place. One friend pointed out that even if this was a case of cultural appropriation, if it helped bring alternative eating styles (namely vegetarian, made-from-scratch from whole ingredients) into communities that traditionally did not identify with that style, wasn't that a good thing?
Another friend took the stance that there is a difference between cultural appropriation and being "profane as fuck" (direct quote). Now, this guy knows of where he speaks. He is one of the most profane people I know, and is constantly littering the conversation with colorful language. He is a profanity artist, making small masterpieces out of everyday conversations. It's one of his most endearing qualities. I absolutely love talking to him and hearing the novel interjections he comes up with, seemingly on the fly. I find myself swearing more when I speak with him, and enjoying it immensely, though I think I come off as a hack compared with his mastery of the profane. But back to my point. He is a white good ol' boy from South Carolina, swears to make a sailor blush, and uses urban street slang without it seeming affected. He comes by his gritty urban dialect honestly. So I could see his point that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't a case of cultural appropriation, but rather a case of honest white folk who spoke a certain way being lumped in, unfairly, with a racist stereotype.
Then I bought the book.
Let me take a moment here to say that I do not speak for the black community. I have no experience with being black, with living that reality. I am sympathetic and even empathetic to the systemic racism and social violence experienced by people of color in America, and I am keenly aware that we have swept slavery under the carpet of our collective unconscious and not dealt with the lasting ramifications of a society built, literally, on the backs of men and women who were considered property and not people. I am white, and as such, extremely privileged in this country. I am trying to be an ally to the black community in any way I can. Even if it's just speaking out about a stupid cookbook.
First and foremost, the authors are a white couple that live in Hollywood, California. Hollywood is not the first place you think of when you hear "thug". Second, they take great pains, in both the book and website, to disguise themselves. The cookbook has beautiful pictures of food, and an occasional hand or arm (white and tattooed) in the frame, but the only photo of a black person is a guy who is clearly not cooking anything. He's drawing graphic novel frames while enjoying some (presumably "thug") cookies and blended latte (I can't make this stuff up. It would be laugh-out-loud hilarious if it weren't so sad.). There are also photos of urban settings - graffiti and the like - all to reinforce the "thug" of "Thug Kitchen".
If this were a case of just using a lot of profanity, it wouldn't be an issue. Profanity is not singular to any one community, at least in my experience, and in my sampling of pop culture. (Take that with a grain of salt: I am a white woman speaking from a place of extreme privilege.) No, this is not a simple case of profanity, though it figures prominently in the hook. The language used by the book relies heavily on phrases and sayings lifted directly from black culture. For example: "...you do you," "dope," "dropping knowledge," etc. The more I read, the angrier I got.
Cultural appropriation has been in the news a lot lately, stemming from the coverage of white police killing unarmed black men. There have been too many to even list off the top of my head, and it makes me cry to think of these men and their mothers (being a mother of sons, myself), so I won't even go into those stories, except to say it's bringing to light a deeply rooted problem with our country. Racism is alive and kicking in the US, and cultural appropriation is an often overlooked, hidden-in-plain-sight aspect of it. White people claim black culture as their own, make tons of money off of it, and then get upset when accused of cultural insensitivity (at best), or outright racism (at worst). America is a melting pot, so it is unrealistic and naive to think there will be no cultural blending and borrowing. But that's not what is happening here. This is a white couple, hiding the fact that they are white, using black slang and urban context to sell a product and make money. Period.
If you haven't seen it, and I can't imagine too many people who haven't, check out Amandla Stenberg's outstanding video (made for a school project!!) "Don't Cash Crop My Cornrows." She makes some excellent (and eloquent) points on cultural appropriation, and ends with one of the most profound statements I've heard on the subject: "What if America loved black people the way it loves black culture?"
As for Thug Kitchen, don't buy it. Don't give these people any more money. Check it out from the library, make copies of the recipes you love and return it. I'm returning my copy to the store, because while I love the food, now that I've seen where it's made, I can't stomach it.
*I will not be linking to the website or book so that you don't you don't make the same mistake I did and give them clicks out of curiosity. You are, however, free to look them up on your own. They aren't hard to find, so to speak.
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