Bought the Olive Garden Italian salad dressing at Costco a short while
back. While tasty, it is so acidic, it literally melts vegetable matter
shortly after application. I must find an alternative.
I am eating a restrictive diet, in order to lose weight and get my heart rate and blood sugar down. My diet usually consists of a salad to start my day, and a light, tasty, salad dressing makes the morning routine all that more tolerable.
But, in hindsight, should I give up on my search for a delightful, delicious, Italian salad dressing? After all, I'm not Italian, and to like - and use - Italian dressing on my iceberg lettuce is considered cultural appropriation of Italians, right?
I've been seeing more and more outrage online by Social Justice Warriors (SJWs, or as I prefer to call them, "Snowflakes") about how everything is racist and the appropriation of other cultures. Disappointing and rather ridiculous.
As I write this, Cinco de Mayo (the celebration to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza) is coming up. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. In the U.S., the date has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture.
While I fully understand the true meaning of the celebration, and that it's become an Americanized excuse to eat Mexican food and drink tequila and cheap Mexican beer, I still love to use the day to recreate an authentic Mexican dish or two. I greatly love Mexican food (cheap Mexican beer, however, is no better than cheap beer from any other country, so I recommend you avoid it. Can you imagine folks outside the US using the Fourth of July as reason to drink a crap-load of Schlitz, or Lucky Lager (although I'm sure there are SJWs our there who would get triggered by the word "Lucky" - "You're appropriating Irish culture!"))
What about St. Patrick's Day, when Americans flock to their local pubs to drink green beer and eat corned beef and cabbage? Is that an appropriation of Irish culture?
Or how about those non-holiday occasions where you and your loved one decide to eat out, or get take-out, for dinner? Pizza? Chinese food? Sushi? Chicken tikka masala? BBQ? Yeah, all considered cultural appropriation.
Now, I'm so Northern European (Swedish, Norwegian, and Welsh), I run the risk of exploding if exposed to enough sunlight, but do I think every person who eats Swedish meatballs at their next wedding reception is a horrible person, appropriating MY culture? Of course, the answer is no. And SJWs agree with me. The whole concept of cultural appropriation, as promoted by the Snowflake crowd, is promoted to get schlubs like me to feel guilty for not being in their targeted minorities. So far, I have not seen outrage over non-Scandinavians liking stinky brown goat cheese (Brunost), or non-Welsh liking rarebit, or non-Norwegians loving smoked salmon.
I would love to see SJWs do one of two things: codify their message, decrying everything not in YOUR culture as cultural appropriation (and ordering you to stop appropriating other cultures and stick to your cultural heritage, only), or; shut the hell up. It's not appropriation - it's love and appreciation of another culture, which I think is part of the progressive agenda of a global culture. What's happening now is selective outrage, to further sociopolitical gains.
I make a greatly-received slow-cooked brisket many times per year, along with BBQ'd ribs, a German sausage and sauerkraut medley, a homemade salsa that has received nothing but praise, a curried lamb with saffron rice, and a fairly decent Korean BBQ. I'm not appropriating any culture, I'm appreciating it.
