Source: Jason Todd / Getty
There’s a level of social/moral/political compass that most people should possess. Particularly as a business owner, if you’re profiting off the culture of an oppressed identity, it’s a red flag that you’re not in your league.
This is something that Sarah Cattoor and her partner Ryan Greening obviously do not have, as they are opening “Me So Hungry” a “hip-hop themed” restaurant in Bumblef-ck, Iowa.
“It’s going to be a really fun place and all the [1990s] music will be family friendly,” Cattoor told the Des Moines Register on Wednesday.
The restaurant will open this summer in West Des Moines, Iowa and will have Southern and “soul food,” including chicken and waffles, bread pudding, and plantain fritters. The establishment’s name is in reference to the Too Large Crew parodying 2 Live Crew’s “Me So Horny,” a reference to a quote from the Vietnamese prostitute in Full Metal Jacket.
As to be expected, the people of the Internet are not impressed — and are taking to social media to express their frustrations.
While Cattoor and Greening told HuffPost they’re aware of the critiques, they truly don’t believe they’re being appropriators of the culture(s).
“We have been fans of hip-hop music with other genres for all of our lives and look forward to opening Me So Hungry,” the couple told HuffPost on Monday. “We welcome all varying views, and in fact you will likely find our views run very counter to many of the [racist] views we are being claimed to have. We encourage people to join us for breakfast and open up a productive dialogue about any issue.”
Riiiiiiight. We’ll pass.
