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By Dave Pullig from West Sussex, United Kingdom – Gordon Ramsay, CC BY 2.0, Link
Gordon Ramsay’s latest announcement about his upcoming “authentic” restaurant has caused much discussion on social media, according to Delish.com.
“I can honestly say there will not be a bad seat in the house — every table will have a unique view and each guest will come away having experienced something sensational — whether it be the phenomenal menu, the amazing service or the stunning look and feel,” Ramsay told Eater.
While Ramsay has gained a huge following in the current span of his career, many took to social media to criticize the meaning of the word “authentic” being associated with the word “Asian.”
A common theme among the criticisms was that Ramsay was opening up an Asian restaurant without the assistance of an Asian chef. This brought up an issue of another way in which White people “capitalize on Asian culture” without giving some of the space to Asian people within that industry, as one Twitter use pointed out.
I would love for @GordonRamsay to actually NOT join the ranks of the many White people that are capitalizing on Asian culture without putting equal effort into giving Asians seats at the table of equity. https://t.co/A6zIBkJAes— Joanna Carpenter (@thejoannac) February 4, 2019
Actress Jamie Chung joined in the conversation, mentioning that specificity would be helpful in what Ramsay meant by “Asian.”
As a continent, Asia is made up of different countries with different cultures and cuisines. This is why the idea of an “authentic Asian restaurant” does not read the way it might to those outside of the Asian community.
I dig his shows but it‘s impossible to have an “authentic Asian restaurant” because Asia is a *continent*, not a cuisine. It’s like if he said he was opening an “authentic European restaurant.” He’d get laughed out of town and I hope this does too.https://t.co/9Zot0XD5oJ
— Jeff Yang (@originalspin) February 7, 2019
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Ramsay’s restaurant, The Lucky Cat, is expected to open in London this summer.
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RE: Can An Asian Restaurant Call Itself “Authentic” without any Asians: Phony, arrogant and cultural appropriation all rolled up in one white privileged guy. Wow.
RE: Can An Asian Restaurant Call Itself “Authentic” without any Asians?: Can he cook tom yum soup ? Can he even read the ingredients on the bottle ? Does he know the right name for all the ingredients to source from the right people ? He can just ask the Thai cook- or how about just hiring one? I think that offends me the most. Why are you hiring white guys when there are Asian cooks looking for jobs who can make authentic food for you . Its the same argument for yellow face . We can’t find and Asian actor. We can’t find an Asian cook- oh really ?