Food metaphors for race
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(Redirected from Oreo Cookie (slang))
There are several food metaphors for race, mostly based on common color metaphors for race and stereotypes.
Many consider these terms ethnic slurs, and their usage racist, although the terms are sometimes re-contextualized within specific ethnic groups.
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[edit] Foods signifying whiteness and blackness
- Vanilla and white bread (especially Wonder Bread) often signify white ethnicity. In this sense, whiteness is seen as bland.
- Chocolate and coffee have been used to signify blackness, particularly in the concept of the Chocolate City. Melanzane, (Italian, "Eggplants") is a common derogatory term for black persons notably used by some Italian Americans of the New York metropolitan area. [citation needed]
[edit] Foods signifying mixed or confused racial/cultural identity
Foods that have distinct colors both inside and outside are often used as symbols of a mixed or confused racial/cultural identity. These pejorative terms are based on how a person looks, compared to how that person acts or is perceived to feel.
- Oreo is a term for a black person who is thought to have eschewed African American culture in order to ingratiate themselves to the white majority. An Oreo cookie is dark on the outside and white on the inside. The term is often used by lower-income blacks against professional, wealthy and/or educated blacks. The term is also used by impoverished inner-city blacks against middle-class suburban blacks. The term has also been used to describe blacks who work for whites or who work in industries that they feel exploit black people. This is in contrast to the term Uncle Tom which has been used to describe blacks who ingratiated themselves to whites by hiding or downplaying their intelligence or education. Oreo Cookie was developed as a metaphor for a new generation of educated African Americans starting in the 1960s.[citation needed] The term also refers to a biracial person of black and white heritage. In the United Kingdom, the term 'Bounty' or 'Bounty bar' is used to describe the same concept, named after the chocolate-coated coconut confectionery.
- Uh-Oh! Oreo is the reverse of Oreo. The term is used to describe someone who is white on the outside, but who acts black on the inside. It is roughly synonymous with wigger.
- Winter Oreo describes a person who is black on the outside by who acts Native American on the inside. This is due to the traditional coloring of the Oreo creme in a reddish hue for the winter months. It is not known whether any of these Winter Oreos actually exist.
- Banana, or Twinkie, is a term used to describe people who are of East Asian descent who supposedly think and act like a stereotypical white person[citation needed]. The term is usually used to refer to people of east Asian origin living in western countries (e.g. Asian Americans with east Asian ancestry). It is also used against those with biracial people of White and Asian backgrounds. The term Banana is sometimes used by Chinese Americans to refer to American-born Chinese. It is increasingly used by native Chinese to describe Chinese Americans or other Asians who are based in non-Asian countries. It is a synonym of jook-sing.
- Apple refers to an American Indian who acts white[citation needed].
- Egg is a term for someone of white descent who shows more interest in Asian culture than Western culture[citation needed]. This may include interest in East Asian languages, dress, history and customs. Egg can be considered synonymous with the more neutral term Asiaphile. The terms wapanese, otaku, or Japanophile are sometimes used. to describe those who idolize or co-opt Japanese culture. The term sinophile describes a person with a strong interest in Chinese culture.
- Coconut refers to a South Asian, Arab, Latino, or Southeast Asian who acts white[citation needed]. In the United Kingdom, it often signifies a Desi who acts white. In Australia and New Zealand, it often signifies a Polynesian or Melanesian who acts white.
- Chocolate cheesecake refers to an Asian who acts black[citation needed]. It is mainly used by middle-class and upper-class Asians against lower-class Asians.
- Litchi refers to someone of European descent who acts black[citation needed]. The term is also used to describe Native Americans who act black[citation needed].
- The term 57 Varieties or Heinz 57, refers to people who have many different nationalities or are of mixed race. It comes from the slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company.
- An Elie is a term for someone of any race who yet "acts like another race" based on social or familial upbringings[citation needed].
[edit] References in popular culture
- Michael S. Steele, then a candidate for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, claimed to have been pelted with Oreo cookies during a debate held at Morgan State University (a predominantly African American university), ostensibly in view of Steele's being an African American Republican. [1]
- For more details on this topic, see Michael S. Steele#Oreo cookie incident.
- Banana Boys is a novel by Terry Woo about a group of Chinese males who recount issues they experienced whilst growing up in Canadian society.
- A short-lived Vancouver-based Asian Canadian pop culture magazine titled Banana folded in 2003.
- In the film Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold recalls that a Korean friend would refer to Harold as a twinkie: Yellow on the outside, white on the inside.
- There is a book critical of New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin on his handling of local Hurricane Katrina response called An Oreo living in a Chocolate City.
- In a recent episode of the animated sitcom King of the Hill, Hank Hill's neighbor, Kahn Souphanousinphone is referred to as a banana because he has abandoned some of his Laotian traditions for a more Western lifestyle.
- In the film Ice Age: The Meltdown there is a character named Ellie who however is a mammoth, but yet has personality qualities of a opposum, although this has nothing to do with race it however makes a real life parallel on people who "act a different race".
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Mosaic "Eggs" and Their Connections to the Biculturalism: A Dissection of the Identity of White Americans Interested in Chinese Culture
- Ryerson University School of Journalism Diversity Watch
[edit] References
- Moonie Times - 'Party trumps race' for Steele foes - by S.A Miller
