Intersection where food, culture, babies, and racism meet

[minorTruths]

This was an interesting article. Didn't know where to put it...but decided to post it here inspired by the hamburger thread.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/education/2261307/Toddlers-who-dislike-spicy-food-racist%2C-say-report.html
Toddlers who dislike spicy food 'racist'

By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent
Last updated: 9:29 AM BST 08/07/2008

Toddlers who turn their noses up at spicy food from overseas could be branded racists by a Government-sponsored agency.

The National Children's Bureau, which receives £12 million a year, mainly from Government funded organisations, has issued guidance to play leaders and nursery teachers advising them to be alert for racist incidents among youngsters in their care.
This could include a child of as young as three who says "yuk" in response to being served unfamiliar foreign food.
The guidance by the NCB is designed to draw attention to potentially-racist attitudes in youngsters from a young age.
It alerts playgroup leaders that even babies can not be ignored in the drive to root out prejudice as they can "recognise different people in their lives".
The 366-page guide for staff in charge of pre-school children, called Young Children and Racial Justice, warns: "Racist incidents among children in early years settings tend to be around name-calling, casual thoughtless comments and peer group relationships."
It advises nursery teachers to be on the alert for childish abuse such as: "blackie", "Pakis", "those people" or "they smell".
The guide goes on to warn that children might also "react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying 'yuk'".
Staff are told: "No racist incident should be ignored. When there is a clear racist incident, it is necessary to be specific in condemning the action."
Warning that failing to pick children up on their racist attitudes could instil prejudice, the NCB adds that if children "reveal negative attitudes, the lack of censure may indicate to the child that there is nothing unacceptable about such attitudes".
Nurseries are encouraged to report as many incidents as possible to their local council. The guide added: "Some people think that if a large number of racist incidents are reported, this will reflect badly on the institution. In fact, the opposite is the case."

Is disliking spicy food a sign of racism? Leave your comments below

[kimtae]

I know Korean kids who won't eat kimchi, I guess that makes them auto-racists?

[Ike]

What does spiciness have to do with food from different cultures? American food can be spicy too.

[ellencho]

Also, I think most children regardless of culture prefer bland food - and by that I mean not overly flavorful. Kids' tastes are very primal - salty, sweet, sour and fatty. Whoever they have on the NCB knows nothing about how children's tastes develop. IF they say racist stuff it's because they learned it from their parents, and chances are, they're just parroting, not actually speaking based on their true beliefs.

[nightshade]

I wasn't able to eat spicy food until I was eighteen--I just hadn't developed the taste buds for it. Haha, I still don't like it when something is too salty or too sweet.

[ellencho]

I wasn't able to eat spicy food until I was eighteen--I just hadn't developed the taste buds for it. Haha, I still don't like it when something is too salty or too sweet.
Same here - once I got to grad school, all I wanted to do was sprinkle hot sauce on everything.

[Tyger Durden]

...This could include a child of as young as three who says "yuk" in response to being served unfamiliar foreign food.

The guidance by the NCB is designed to draw attention to potentially-racist attitudes in youngsters from a young age...

I think all kids tweak out when looking at an unfamiliar dish. The fact that it is "foreign" is secondary. If they haven't seen it before, any dish is "foreign.

Plus, if you've been eating nothing but Hostess Cupcakes and bags of Potato Chips followed by gallons of Coca-Cola from birth anything else won't satisfy you.

[minbo]

I thought this was going to be a post about veal-ish pork on two legs...

[minorTruths]

Damn it. I was trying to be 'seriously' funny with the thread title. Screw the title.

[Freckles]

I think all kids tweak out when looking at an unfamiliar dish. The fact that it is "foreign" is secondary. If they haven't seen it before, any dish is "foreign".

I think most children regardless of culture prefer bland food - and by that I mean not overly flavorful. Kids' tastes are very primal - salty, sweet, sour and fatty... IF they say racist stuff it's because they learned it from their parents, and chances are, they're just parroting...

My mother used to work in early child development, and both of the above statements are definitely true. Children (especially very young children, 2-4) are largely unconcerned with race, if they're conscious of it at all. They are much too self-absorbed at that stage of development to genuinely have racist ideas. They are, however, VERY talented parrots; that's why people are always urged to watch what they say around small children.

Personally, I couldn't stomach spicy food at all as a kid, but after I turned 18 I suddenly got the taste for it, and now I'm all about the spice. I think it's definitely a good idea to try to discourage racism in children before racist ideas can really take hold in them, but I think this organization missed the mark with the whole "response to foreign food" idea.

I also question how effective a program like this can really be, when kids get their ideas from their parents. It's parents, not educators, who have the strongest influence on children. If parents instill racist attitudes in their children, there's not a whole hell of a lot early educators can do to combat it. I don't think it's until later, when kids get the desire to rebel, that they would be particularly receptive to re-education.