Celebrity chef and "Bizarre Foods" host Andrew Zimmern expressed his apologies for the comments he said about Chinese restaurants.
Zimmern reportedly opened up his own Chinese restaurant in Minnesota. In relation to that, Fast Company posted an interview from the summer together with Zimmern in which he said,"I think I'm saving the souls of all the people from having to dine at these horseshit restaurants masquerading as Chinese food that are in the Midwest," Zimmern told Fast Co.'s Mark Wilson, a statement that discredited regional Chinese-American food.
Some said that his remarks represented cultural elitism and others called it insulting.
Zimmern apologized shortly after he was criticized as culturally insensitive. He posted his apology on Facebook on November 27.
"Let me start by saying most importantly how awful I feel and how sorry I am for my recent remarks. I am completely responsible for what I said and I want to apologize to anyone who was offended or hurt by those sound bites. Food should be for everyone, and yet culturally there is a terrible and centuries old history of white people profiting off of other cultures, in food, music, and elsewhere. The upset that is felt in the Chinese American community is reasonable, legitimate and understandable, and I regret that I have been the one to cause it. That is the very last thing I would ever want to do. And in this case neither intentions nor context matter. Feelings matter," Zimmern wrote.
"Personally, I think you can cook whatever food you want, but the way you market your restaurant and sell the 'experience' is another story," Ruth Tam wrote in the Washington Post, following Zimmern's comments. "At the very least, don't insult the restaurants, chefs and diners that laid the groundwork for your business plan. Own your role in the great American food story, and in true Chinese tradition, honor the past as you look forward."
