Simu Liu’s public meltdown over a bubble tea company run by two white entrepreneurs may have got the support of Hollywood elites like Johnny Depp, The Rock, and Taylor Swift, but America’s #1 Newstainment Source, GWU!, has learned of a number of small businesses that are biting into “culturally appropriating” ethnic foods and discovering the sweet taste of success. Meet three of America’s next generation of foodies!
Is that a Falafel in your Pita Pocket?
When twin brothers from New Jersey started a falafel stand, it almost immediately had lines around the corner to get a taste of this authentic ethnic delicacy. The brothers, Todd and Jackson, had spent 3 weeks traveling around the world searching for the perfect recipe and shared their story with GWU!
They confess that they’re not worried about what liberals think about neither of them being Middle Eastern. In fact, the two who grew up in a predominantly white suburb admit they only first tried a falafel after a night of drinking in college: “We were like, wow, what is this!”
The brothers wrap to GWU! that they have “completely copied” the traditional recipes they discovered during their travels with the small exception of reducing the amount of salt they use as a ‘healthy option choice’ when requested. “People want a falafel to taste like one! We are faithful to the proper way it’s meant to be made, but we’re also conscious of how unhealthy ethnic food can be.”
Soul Sister
Heather, a perky thirty something white girl from Palo Alto, said that when she went to a soul food restaurant in Georgia, she fell in love. That’s when she knew that she had to make it for everyone. “It was like a secret that white people didn’t know about,” she tells GWU! In the kitchen of her Brooklyn eatery frequented by both black and white folks, hangs a sign that reads: “Once you go Black you never go back …. to grilled cheese.”
After seeing Simu Liu’s temper tantrum on TikTok, Heather contacted GWU! to share her story about how she’s blending communities together—literally. “It was disgusting to see what that bully did to those small business owners.” While Heather does find the odd left leaning celebrity covertly pop into her restaurant, she insists she would never feel comfortable with an endorsement from their kind.
Heather says she doesn’t feel like she’s appropriating anything, whether it’s collard greens with ham, delicious BBQ ribs, fresh catfish, or comfort foods like mac and cheese. She adds that the restaurant has seen a lot of encouragement from the black community who say her grub is as “good as a sweet Georgia block party.”
Her black customers tell GWU! that they don’t care that she’s white because the food is “So damned good!” One diner insisted that judging Heather on her skin tone and serving black food would actually be racist. “This is what Dr. King was marching for, now it’s just up to us brothers to walk it off, know what I mean!”
Jesus! What a bagel!
Boston American-Italian Catholics John Marco and his Malaysian born wife Nor opened a Jewish deli after they both became verklempt with lox and cheese. “In our Back Bay neighborhood there was nowhere to get a proper bagel so we decided to open one up since we both liked bagels so much,” explains John Marco.
Do they get any flack from the local Jewish community? Not at all smiles John Marco. “Many have said that if it wasn’t for us they’d have to drive out of town to get a doughy delight. We’re saving them money and they respect that. Another plus is that when I tell a joke like: a Jew, Catholic and horse walk into a bar, I don’t feel anti-Semitic.”
As GWU! observed on a Ruben sandwich fact finding mission Jews and Catholics packed the tiny independent deli. The conversation is lively and Nor says that the atmosphere welcoming to all. “Sure there’s the odd wokester or whatever you call them in our Google reviews who say we’re appropriators or settlers, but we’re actually bringing the community together, and making an honest living doing it.”
