Chef Defends NBC's Black History Month Menu

While it would be nice to blame NBC's Black History Month Menu-tastrophe on Jeff Zucker, the dishes offered yesterday (fried chicken, collard greens and black-eyed peas) were actually chosen by Leslie Calhoun... NBC's black chef.

Calhoun defended herself to the NY Post, saying, "All I wanted to do was make a meal that everyone would enjoy—and that I eat myself." But when ?uestlove showed up in the lunch line, he quickly Twittered the menu hanging up with the words, "Hmm, HR?"—a transmission that quickly spread via his 1MM+ followers. The chef says that yesterday the Roots drummer "requested the neck bone [cooked in] the black-eyed peas and fried chicken." But then she says he "got off the line, saying, 'This is racist.' The next thing you know, people were taking pictures of the sign and asking all the other black people in the cafeteria if this was racist. They said that it wasn't."

In the end the menu was removed, ?uestlove took some time off Twitter saying "now I must put out fire," and next week Calhoun plans to try again (her plan was to serve one special meal every Thursday during February). Meanwhile, last night Wanda Sykes addressed the menu on the Jay Leno Show, saying, "Jay, what is happening at NBC? Is the whole damn network on medical marijuana? What the hell is going on over here?"

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By Jen Carlson in News on February 5, 2010 11:36 AM

Comments [rss]

Jen S

This must be the set-up for a new NBC drama: Black Chef, serving irony and history on the same plate.

LB

I Loves me some Chicken ! I Loves Blackeyed Pea's ! And I Loves me some Collards ! Seriously, Some People here need to grow up (Gothamist Staffwriters) and post story 's that actually make use of all the Bytes used to view them ! Seriously , Quit posting Bullshit story's like this please !

NannyState

This whole mishegoss nearly bumped the Civil Rights Movement into a daytime time slot...

Kelles

Oh sure...Wanda Sykes would never say anything racist

Deport'emall!!!

I forget, when is White history month?

Kelles

But every month is White History Month

Guest

cool. thanks. i did not know that. i will go tell my friends. :)

LesDiggityDoo

What's on the Menu for "White History Month"?

Guest

it depends. some white people from the south will have stuff like 'turducken' (do not ask me what it is; it makes me want to vomit), while many whites in new york would like to have a 5-star french food if they can afford it--a lot of whites in new york don't seem to eat american food, at all.

nivek

McDonald's, with a side of butter made from corn-fed cows.

babyhitler

The most racist thing black people should definitely be protesting is Hollywood crime/murder mysteries. How the hell can black people make up 46% of criminals in prison and only make up like 5% of criminals portrayed in movies and television? When you watch law and order the criminal is always white! It's a travesty. Some black actor's paycheck is being stolen by a white actor. Al sharpton should get on this right away.

valeriob

He's busy avoiding tax collectors at the moment.

Otherwise he'd be all over that like white on... like black on...

oh nevermind.

Rocknrope

So this is our world, where black people are calling other black people racist against black people, and everyone seems confused about it.

When are Kang and Kodos arriving to put us out of our misery?

inoyourider

But if that chef were white, they'd be fired on the spot and publicly humiliated by everyone...

So who's racist, ?uestlove?

valeriob

Yes, clearly he is, and an attention whore to boot.

inoyourider

Haha

I told you so!

Gothamist_Cynic

So why don't they celebrate black history all year round? Why 1 month out of the entire year?

MFer

Al Roker ate all the leftovers.

bigmikebrooklyn

1995 called and they want their al roker joke back.

after the surgery, he projectile vomits if he eats more than a thimblefull of solid food.

also, 1997 called and they want their "1995 called..." joke back.