Cambridge college to rethink menu after Jamaican stew racism claim

Race row: Students at Cambridge's Pembroke College said some of the restaurant's dishes were 'cultural misrepresentations'
Rex
Hatty Collier27 February 2017

A Cambridge college is to rethink its menu after students complained that meals named “Jamaican stew” and “Tunisian rice” were racist.

The students argued that the dishes being served up in Pembroke College’s restaurant did not exist in their supposed native countries and were "cultural misrepresentations", according to the Sunday Times.

“Dear Pembroke catering staff, stop mixing mango and beef and calling it ‘Jamaican stew’,” wrote one student.

“I’m actually half Jamaican please show me where in the Caribbean they mix fruit and meat.”

The post was liked over 100 times and shared to the university’s complaints page.

Another complained about a “cauliflower, date and tofu tagine with Tunisian rice and coriander yoghurt”, saying “sorry but what is this, we don’t eat these tings in Tunisia.”

An anonymous post also read: “If people feel their cultures are misrepresented, they have the right to address this.

"Microaggressions are a reality of the everyday existence of many people of colour.”

The college said it had not received any formal complaint but “would be going through the dishes on the menu to see if any are ones that are not very well named”.

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