Why do fast-casual chains get a pass on culturally appropriating dishes?
Chef Jenny Dorsey examines why fast-casual chains get a pass on culturally appropriating dishes in an essay for Eater. While traveling in Mexico, Dorsey confronted her own assumptions about barbacoa and Chipotle’s beefy representation of the delicacy. In reality, barbacoa’s history as Caribbean “barbecue” evolved as it moved through Mexico, where lamb or mutton would be used. Dorsey argues that while these chains may introduce certain dishes or cuisines to large swaths of people—they do very little to contextualize the foods they serve. The little pushback against correction can cause the harmful impacts of stereotypes to become the cultural norm. She argues food has always been entrenched in Western colonization, imperialism, and enslavement, and it continues to change and shape public opinion.
