Bamboozle: NZ restaurant's 'racist menu' sparks anger
A New Zealand restaurant has been accused of using mocking racial clichés on its menu.
Asian fusion restaurant Bamboozle in Christchurch features dishes with the names "Chirri Garrik an Prawn Dumpring" and "Ho Lee Kok".
The restaurant has operated with the menu for two years, local reports said, but a picture was posted to Twitter by a social media user this week.
The restaurant said customers enjoyed the names as "part of the experience".
Some of the other dishes on the menu include "Eja Ku Rait" and "Tay's Velly Special Penang Style Seafood", a reference to how some Chinese speakers are seen to mix up the pronunciation of the letters L and R.
Alice Galletly first commented on the menu with a picture on Monday, saying it was "super juvenile racist trash".
Some were outraged by the menu, calling the choice of dish names "shameful".
Skip Twitter post by @2TAPU
Lots of incredible Kiwi chefs and restaurants: let’s give the racist ones a miss #ByeByeBamboozle https://t.co/rnKmIOd91N
— 2Tapu (@2TAPU) January 11, 2018
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End of Twitter post by @2TAPU
Skip Twitter post by @fredagg
Haven’t been there. Was curious as had reasonable reviews. But not interested at all now. Will never go there. shameful
— Sheila Dagg (@fredagg) January 10, 2018
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End of Twitter post by @fredagg
Skip Twitter post by @shimmo23
Gross. How the hell could they possibly think it was appropriate?
— Grant Shimmin (@shimmo23) January 9, 2018
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End of Twitter post by @shimmo23
"This makes me so mad. There's no racism in NZ? I beg to… differ" said social media user Chris Tse on Twitter.
Some even took to leaving negative reviews of the restaurant on its Google page.
However, there were others that said the menu was "hilarious".
Skip Twitter post by @_TL10
Clearly no sense of humour. I find it hilarious. Imagine everyone had a boring sense of humour like you?
— Thomas ? (@_TL10) January 11, 2018
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End of Twitter post by @_TL10
In response to John Girvan, Twitter user Julian Liew-Young said: "One Chinese person not finding it offensive doesn't mean it's ok. I guarantee you the majority of Asians in New Zealand don't see this as funny."
He went on to add: "You find it funny because you haven't been taunted like this for your whole life. It's not funny. It's just basic."
But restaurant owner Philip Kraal defended his menu in an interview with the NZ Herald.
"Pretty much everyone [sic] of our customers enjoys the written menu as part of their overall experience," he said.
However, Mr Kraal said they "appreciate the feedback and are actively considering it".
When contacted by the BBC, a staff member from Bamboozle said they were "not available for comment".
In response to the outcry, New Zealand's race relations commissioner told Stuff news website that Kiwis on social media say they won't be going to places where racial tropes are on the menu.
"We've plenty of world class restaurants in New Zealand, there's nothing world class about using racial stereotypes to sell food," Dame Susan Devoy said.
This is not the first time Mr Kraal has found himself in trouble over the choice of language used in his menus.
In 2009, his restaurant Crumpet Club came under fire for a chicken, brie and sweetcorn pie that was described as "slightly gay, I know, but oh so tasty".
The description of the pie was later removed from the menu after a complaint to the Human Rights Commission.
