http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/...s_people_of_color_felt.html#incart_river_home
I find it utterly ridiculous that chefs should feel bad for cooking food from other cultures. Completely and utterly ridiculous.
I don't understand how these people don't see the irony, the double standard, in what they're saying. They say they moved here to be accepted, and yet they're singling out white restaurants for stealing their culture. They want to feel accepted, but they do not accept others. They're hypocrites. Until people understand that by singling out white people, by judging white people, by lumping everyone that appears to be white into one group, they are further propagating division and resentment. This country is a melting pot, and our food reflects that diversity. Why are people trying to change that?
I'm also tired of this Utopian Portland bullshit. I have no fucking clue how the outside image of Portland became this perfect city for all people, regardless of race, religion, or sexual preference. Yes, Portland has a lot of very liberal people. Yes, I think this city can be very accepting, but if the city is 76% white you're going to have a much higher chance of running into someone that's racist or bigoted. It's simple math. If the city was only 25% white, then you would have a lower chance of even seeing a white person, let alone seeing one that was vocally racist or bigoted. I also think that the higher population of white people in Portland gives these people a bit of an emboldened attitude because they're not completely surrounded by other races.
It seems like the people who are moving here because they think Portland is more inclusive, are running into the people who are moving here to be in a whiter community. And as more people move here from other communities from all over the country, we will slowly lose what Portland once was, and see this city evolve into a totally different society. We are seeing different political, cultural, and religious groups all coming together in this city, and there has been friction.
But it seems to me, that the way to solve these problems is to start highlighting our similarities and not our differences. I just wish these people would practice what they preach. You can't tell me in one sentence that you want to be accepted, and then in the next breath tell me that white people should not be serving a dish from your country.