Yahoo News Cambridge students complain college serves up food that 'misrepresents' their culture
Cambridge students have come under fire from their peers for complaining about the menu served up at one of the university's most prestigious colleges.
Some foreign scholars complained to kitchen staff over culinary offerings claiming to be from their native countries including "Jamaican stew" and "Tunisian rice".
They were offended that their cultures were "misrepresented" and said they didn't eat such dishes back home.
But despite Pembroke College promising to take note of their views, other students hit back at the complaints.
One student noted "you've got to be pretty privileged to have the time to sit and moan about the naming of the food you eat at one of the best universities in the world".
A minority student questioned the row, saying "While the Indian food in trough isn't straight from my Dadiki's karahi in a Mumbai highrise, I'm thankful to the Pembroke staff for at least trying.
"I urge people to look around and realise there's a lot more to life than complaining about fruity chicken. Grow up."
Another expressed concern for the college catering staff and said: "If a member of Pembroke catering staff saw the original post'they might be dismayed, given the relative privileges afforded to all the students at Pembroke in comparison to the work they do to turn around lunch every day.
"So is there a better way to inform them when they've misrepresented a culture and that it's offensive, even perhaps without meaning to be?"
The complaints were raised at a meeting of the college's food committee and the bursar said complaints were being taken seriously.
It was sparked by comments made on the college's Facebook page, where one student wrote: "Dear Pembroke catering staff, stop mixing mango and beef and calling it 'Jamaican stew'.
"I'm actually half Jamaican pls show me where in the Caribbean they mix fruit and meat.
"I'm used to as a minority student being constantly invalidated when flagging up specific issues but if people feel their cultures are misrepresented they have the right to address this.
"Microaggressions are a reality of the everyday existence of many people with colour."
Another moaned about "cauliflower, date and tofu tagine with Tunisian rice and coriander yogurt", saying "sorry but what is this we don't eat these tings in Tunisia."
Among the other complaints was a student who said, "sort out your Chinese chicken".
"Don't get me started on the Yorkshire puddings", another said.
Pembroke College bursar Andrew Cates said: "As a college which prides itself on the high standard of its cuisine and wants all our students of diverse background to feel a valued part of our community, we encourage our catering staff to take the views of any of our students seriously."
