If you’re a foodie, you’ll understand the joy of finding and trying new dishes. There’s nothing like exploring different tastes and textures from other countries. And if you’re on the lookout for new restaurants, TikTok is a great place to go.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a restaurant because someone on TikTok recommended a specific meal. There’s no shortage of positive videos out there.
But there’s a disturbing trend popping up that sees people trying foods from other cultures, then gagging at the flavours.
I first spotted this year year, when Nigerian food was the popular food of choice. People went to their local Nigerian take out to try popular dishes such as pounded yam, Egusi soup and jolloff rice. Though the trend started off with people genuinely enjoying the food, eventually people started to become mean.
People gagged when they tasted or even smelt the food. “This is nasty,” some TikTok users said. Others were seen playing with the food disapprovingly.
We all have different palettes and food preferences, but this doesn’t give you license to be rude, especially when you’re trying a dish from outside your culture.
The trend has sadly continued into 2022, but this time the majority of disrespectful videos seem to focus on Indian food.
TikTok user @meronbdereje summarised the issue with the trend perfectly.
“I’m so tired of seeing these videos on my timeline,” she said. “Y’all made trying Nigerian, Haitian and now Indian food a trend just to turn around and be disrespectful.
“No one cares that they dislike the food that’s not the issue, taste buds are different based on your cultural upbringing and everyone has a right to their own opinion. The issue becomes when you’re intentionally being disrespectful for some views.”
Meron is right. We all enjoy and like different food, but you shouldn’t use that as a reason to offend other people, purely just for kicks.
For a lesson is sampling foods from other cultures – without showing disrespect – check out the videos produced by our pals over at Tasty and Tasty UK. This clip, where Nigerians And Ghanaians try each other’s food, is all about education, exploration and celebration.
Expand your palette, by all means, but not at the expense of offending other people.