Recently, my sociology professor had us explore a local grocery store or supermarket, walk down the "ethnic" aisle, and observe the items placed there. We were to then come up with a working definition of what was deemed "ethnic", take pictures of what we saw and answer a few questions about our visit. So this week's article is based on my findings, observations, and feelings.
In groceries stores across the nation, market chains have designated aisles dedicated to what are deemed “ethnic” foods. For example, Wal-Mart has an aisle section for what they deem as “Hispanic” food and “Asian” foods. These aisles sell stereotypical things like taco kit boxes, instant noodles, and sriracha. Based on that, ethnic food is food substances that involve branding that is not in English or does not originate in the United States.
My first reaction to these types of “ethnic” foods was initially nostalgia. My first few years of life were spent in an area with a high population of Puerto Rican and Dominican citizens. I was used to eating foods from their cultures on top of food from my own culture. All the brands I saw such as Goya, Knox, and Maggie were brands I was familiar with and have been purchased by my parents. However, I do not remember them all being in the same aisle since those brands produce completely different products. In a store where I lived growing up, you would find the Goya beans with the other bean products and the Maggie seasoning packets in the spice aisle. It was never shoved in one aisle and deemed the Hispanic section or the ethnic aisle. They were normal everyday items that you would go look for like a box of Lucky Charms or a bag of Doritos. It saddened me to see these products being treated as if they were different or “exotic”. What upset me even more was the lack of diversity in the Asian foods that were being sold. Asian foods are not just instant noodles and soy sauces. The continent of Asia involves more than just Japan and China. The cultures there are so vast and diverse, so it is a shame that they are belittled by this aisle. Another thing I noticed about the ethnic aisle is the lack of African and Caribbean products. It is like we do not count because we are just automatically mixed in with the Black American population. We are more than just black; we belong to different nationalities and cultures.
The Hispanic items were a little more representative than the Asian foods. Most of the Asian items were based on Japanese, Chinese, and Thai foods. These cultures are not the only cultures that exist in the Asian continent. If the aisle was more representative, it would sell Indian spices, Korean side dish ingredients, or Turkish food items, not just soy sauce and instant noodles. The Hispanic foods offered are more representative, selling various beans, spices, rice, seasonings, etc. Anybody from any Hispanic culture can walk into that aisle and find what they need instantly. However, if the ethnic aisle was representative of different cultures in general then it would include food products used in African and Caribbean dishes. The regions of Africa and the Caribbean have no representation at all. In order for us to get certain ingredients we have to have access to an African or Caribbean market, have someone bring them from whichever country you are from, or go to your country yourself and buy it. It is unfair that we must go farther or put in more effort to purchase certain items, while the other ethnicities have some access to their favorite food products at a grocery store down the road from them.
The most common types of “ethnic” foods are Hispanic foods. This is probably because the Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States. The public wants an area where they can buy ingredients for their tacos, burritos, quesadillas and queso for “Taco Tuesday” or “Mexican food Night”. These foods represent the Hispanic culture even though they are stereotypes and barely scratch the surface of what Hispanic people eat. Dominicans do not eat the same things as Puerto Ricans and Puerto Ricans do not eat the same things as Mexicans, Peruvians, Chileans, Guatemalans, etc. They all have foods that reflect their lifestyle and culture. It is not just tacos and quesadillas.
After taking the time to analyze the aisle and think about what society deems as ethnic, I have learned that society has a very narrow perspective of what Hispanic and Asian people eat and what ethnicity means. It also shows that our society is still a bit segregated. Why must these foods be separated from the others? Are the only products allowed to have a generic aisle label must be created by White Americans? It makes me wonder if diversity will ever be fully accepted in the United States. People of color are not even accepted in our local grocery stores. We are somewhat forced to assimilate because of the lack of access to food from our cultures. If we want something specifically from our culture, we’re forced to go to other stores which are more diverse and sell to all the minorities. It is unfair that we must put forth more effort just to continue to maintain our culture. All people of different cultures should be able to go to their local grocery store and pick up something from their culture. It does not have to be something from every culture of the world. It could be based on the population of the surrounding area. For example, if the population has a high concentration of Nigerians, Indians, and Japanese families then you accommodate for those cultures. The store can supply fufu mix, spices to make curry, masala or biryani, and stock to make miso or seaweed soup. It is small effort to make more communities feel like they are part of society.
