TO THE EDITOR:
I want to applaud Brian Vaughn for his letter in which he publicly shames a woman for eating chicken salad. Vaughn correctly describes how chicken salad perpetuates the inhumane treatment of animals raised for human consumption and uses those atrocities to illuminate his own model of moral progressivism.
Unfortunately, his letter concludes with a request for readers to sample Mediterranean Deli’s pomegranate muhammara. This is troubling for anyone looking toward “achieving a higher state of social awareness” since it ignores the subjugation and cultural appropriation that the purchase of that dish promotes.
Due to reliance on poorly compensated seasonal labor opportunities, migrant agricultural workers in the San Joaquin Valley suffer from some of the country’s poorest economic and health inequities. And despite laborers in this region producing about 15 percent of the nation’s food, they experience some of its worst food insecurity.
More significant is the cultural appropriation being encouraged. Vaughn utilizes his own privilege to claim muhammara — a centuries-old Syrian dish and well-defined cultural item — as a means for advancing a personal cause.
In order to truly reach a higher state of social consciousness, next time you are at Med Deli, I suggest not using your dining experience as a basis for prescribing social criticisms. Instead, tip well and treat the staff kindly.
Kevin Keith
Graduate Student
