PC Culture Strikes Again

beta said:

I dunno man, nobody seems more 'triggered' about this than you are. XD

'PC' is a word people use when they see other people caring about something they don't care about. Everyone thinks their pet causes are righteous and everyone else's are ridiculous.

When you complain about 'PC culture', all I can hear you say is "I don't like it when other people care about things I don't care about".

Cool story, bro. Nobody cares that you don't care about something. It's ok if other people have different priorities than you.

Stop whining about every goddamn little thing.

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Badfishy1 said:

Says the kid that was butthurt about somebody referring to another person as a ‘fag’... lulz

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Let me start by saying most importantly how awful I feel and how sorry I am for my recent remarks. I am completely responsible for what I said and I want to apologize to anyone who was offended or hurt by those sound bites. Food should be for everyone, and yet culturally there is a terrible and centuries old history of white people profiting off of other cultures, in food, music, and elsewhere. The upset that is felt in the Chinese American community is reasonable, legitimate and understandable, and I regret that I have been the one to cause it. That is the very last thing I would ever want to do. And in this case neither intentions nor context matter. Feelings matter.

Anyone who knows me, is familiar with my career, or has even seen a few of my shows knows I am wildly passionate about Chinese food and culture. I have made a career of making invisible communities, cultures, tribes and businesses visible. That’s another reason I feel terrible that in my remarks I came across as arrogant and patronizing because it’s simply not who I am. It was never my intention to set myself up as the arbiter of quality Chinese or Chinese American food or culture. Some of my words and point of view were taken out of context in some recent interviews and in some video segments, but I don’t blame those media entities.

I have championed Chinese American culture and cooking for decades, and tried to do the same with establishing the importance of Italian American, Chilango and Tex Mex cultures. And I understand that the question of ‘who gets to cook what? And why?’ is vitally important and one that we should all consider. It’s a crucial issue of our time and needs to have more conversation take place around it. There was another point that I made in a recent interview that was also taken out of context. I would never cast aspersions on independent owner operated Chinese American food or restaurants. I have done dozens of profiles and stories on the joys of eating in those restaurants. I believe in them, and I support them, and I will continue to promote stories about food and culture everywhere and anywhere I can. I was commenting on the commodification of Chinese and Chinese American cuisine and cultures in venues such as airports and some malls where I feel the food could be a lot better.

Here in Minnesota we have some of the most underrated Asian foods in the country all around us. Just in the Twin Cities alone there is some spectacular Lao, Hmong, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese foods, but a fair percentage of Midwesterners sadly ignore many of those restaurants in favor of chains who’s food is simply not half as good. For many diners here the only Chinese food they know is what they see in airport fast food kiosks and malls. For those folks, I hope to open their eyes to the greatness of Chinese and Chinese-American cuisines and the people who put it on the plate. And hopefully, since Americans in general inhale other cultures first through their mouths, if they can love the food they can become more accepting and understanding of the people. We need more acceptance, patience and tolerance in this world. I think food is a great cultural accelerator in achieving those goals and this honest belief has fueled everything I do.

As for me and my goals with Lucky Cricket, “chain” is not a dirty word. At Lucky Cricket, once we get our first store in order, we are looking to expand wherever appropriate and when appropriate. This concept was designed to grow and that has been our intention since day one. Food entrepreneurship is an amazing social lever, providing jobs, expanding cultural understanding and accelerating ideas and thought leadership, so we look forward to growing the brand.

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“That act of ‘translating’ on behalf of the presumably white audience — the idea that American diners need to have something unfamiliar ‘made more palatable’ to get them to the table — has shades of a strange, increasingly outdated form of cultural elitism.”

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shithawk420 said:

I'm a little confused.this guy literally eats pig balls and is pissed about Midwest Chinese? To be fair I've seen the nasty Chinese kitchens and it is gross.but so is everything processed we eat.i live in the Midwest and it's the same all over.dont know why he picked the Midwest

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beta said:

I dunno man, nobody seems more 'triggered' about this than you are. XD

'PC' is a word people use when they see other people caring about something they don't care about. Everyone thinks their pet causes are righteous and everyone else's are ridiculous.

When you complain about 'PC culture', all I can hear you say is "I don't like it when other people care about things I don't care about".

Cool story, bro. Nobody cares that you don't care about something. It's ok if other people have different priorities than you.

Stop whining about every goddamn little thing.

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Green Squall said:

I think he mentioned the Midwest in particular because that's where he lives and where he is planning on opening his restaurants. He definitely used the wrong language, but he's right. There are over 41,000 Chinese joints in this country and they all serve the same generic, food. That's more than McDonalds, Burger King and KFC combined. He's simply trying to create something more honest and authentic, which I can respect.


About some of the stuff he's eaten on his show, he's an adventurous eater and likes to immerse himself in other cultures. Personally, I'll try anything once, especially if its prepared by someone who knows what they're doing. If we as humans are going to eat animals, we shouldn't waste anything. Plus, organs are actually the most nutrient dense part of the animal.

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Sign said:

He liked the real Asian food. the heart attack in a waxed cardboard takeout box is what I think he was referring to. If so I agree, it's shit.

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