Jonathan Gold and Cultural Diversity - Essay Example

Jonathan Gold A visual culture which includes performing arts, paintings among others could be the solution to bringing the existential gap in the race relationship in America. Like Chang’s mentions, the people already know what not to say to each other when it comes to race but do not know what to say. It is an interesting fact that illustrate that Americans understand that racism, that became magnified by the infamous segregation laws in the 1950s is wrong (Chang p.5). However, for some reason, and which benefits the political class, no concrete steps have been taken in tackling the problem of race in America. The paper will discuss how the Jonathan Gold as a food critic is helping to make America a multicultural country. Stereotypes about the black people, Mexicans, Asians among others minority groups are galore in the mind of the white majority. Perhaps it is important to mention such stereotypes were brought to light when Donald Trump called the Mexicans rapists. In the same breath, Hillary Clinton was overheard referring Mexicans as taco bowls. The truth is art which is an illustration of the culture can be used in bringing about multiculturalism. In other words, make America a place where different cultures coalesce and blend to produce harmonious existence of people. It was hoped that the election of President Obama in the year 2008, would end the biased racial relations in America (Gold para.6). Perhaps, being half black and white made him stand in the middle, as the mediator in the race wars that have plagued America. Jonathan Gold was born in 1960. It was about the same time when civil rights movements led by people such as Martin Luther Jr begun. Therefore, Gold came to the world when America was confronting the evil of racism. At the time, the country was coming to its realization that segregation through the race, gender and so on was long. Consequently, many laws were drafted to protect minority groups and to make America what is supposed to be an egalitarian society. Basically, in an egalitarian society, every individual in the country has an equal chance of succeeding. No one is favored over the other. The truth is despite, the racism was only eliminated legally, but it never, brought the intent to end the race in the minds of the Americans'. As Chang's observes that desegregation only took place legally, for example through the many laws that for example, provided the blacks to access white schools and so on (Chang p.12). The real solution to combating racism in America, which over a century long problem lies in the integration of cultures, the idea of multiculturalism that I touched on. Jonathan Gold is well famed for his work as a food critic including for his documentary ``City of food''. Importantly, Jonathan Gold who has been writing for LA Times has gone on to win a Pulitzer award for his work as a food critic. Apart from being a food critic, Jonathan was a columnist with the LA Times, the Weekly, where he ran the counterintelligence. What makes the column outstanding and popular among the minority groups is the content of its reporting (Gold para.15). It is important to mention that California is one of the most diverse states in the United States. The majority of the people living in California are majorly immigrants. It is estimated that for every five residents, at least four of them can trace their background to immigrant families. It probably explains the clamor by the state of California to become a sanctuary city in the face of President Trump executive order ban on immigrants from Muslim countries. The focus of the Counter Intelligence was the stories in the ethnic neighborhoods that were underreported by the press. Therefore, through the column, Gold could help bring to the light stories of success among the minority ethnic groups (Gold para. 21). Such form of coverage is crucial in ending exclusion in the media coverage. Particularly, in the mediascape dominated by the white majorities, it is likely that there would be biased reporting by the media. Going back to Chang's work, the media is implicated as being passive in the race war, often burying its head in the sand. Perhaps, the column helped not only to highlight the problem but to confront it through an incisive, unbiased reporting on the ethnic neighborhoods in California. Gold started his career as a food critic at Gourmet located in New York. Being born in California could have exposed Gold to cultural diversity, note that I am not claiming that California and particularly Jonathan city Los Angeles has successfully dealt with the problem of race. However, the focus here is what Chang calls the post-racialism. In other words, the future of the Americans will not be defined by racial mistrust. It is estimated that by the year, 2042, the Whites' dominance will end, and this is what Chang's is referring to as post-racialism. In other words, people will become less divided by races. Such demographics changes in states such as Arizona where the whites are no longer a majority has stoked tensions between the whites and the minority groups (Chang p.18). What the future can be happy about, is that the tension is among the old generation, who fear their races losing significance and being absolved by new multicultural generation. The dream is carried by the children who already shows the signs of multiculturalism by being accommodative of different views of various groups of people. Going back to Gold, probably, cultural diversity is what drove him to abandon Gourmet after two years and return to Los Angeles. Since his return to the city, he has been a successful writer in the area of a food critic and like mentioned before won a Pulitzer award, a remarkable achievement. The type of the food he focuses on is also symbolic with Gold association with multiculturalism. The majority of his reporting is about cuisines in the small, ethnic restaurant. The choice could not be more significant, in the face of race in America. One of the Jonathan favorite food is the taco bowls. It should be noted that the tacos as Gold refer to them are traditional Mexican food. Being a white and favoring the taco bowls, Jonathan is symbolically cutting the cord that is tying Americans' to stereotypes and prejudices associated with a particular group of people (Gold para. 23). Furthermore, he helps provoke the reader to think beyond the color of the skin and to try something new. One important aspect of Jonathan reporting is the fun and humor in his words. Such humor and helps deliver uncomfortable truth in a way that does not seem to unsettle the status quo but at the same time makes the reader abhor their thoughts and standpoints concerning cultures of different people. Importantly, the critique is given for all types of cuisines that are on offer among the California restaurant. Remember, the purpose of the critic is to kind of advice the potential food lover on where to get a particular class of food that is healthy or otherwise. For example, a stereotype among the Americans is that the Japanese food that is majorly fermented is unhealthy and probably foul tasting. Gold mentions that he regularly visits a Japanese restaurant in the city to get a taste of chimichurri, a form of traditional Japanese sauce that is seasoned with a Japanese herb called shiso (Gold para. 27). Furthermore, he welcomes the food lovers to visit the restaurant and savor the different vegetable cuisines in the Japanese restaurant. Gold takes the reader to different locations of the restaurants and the food that they offer including the China town, Korean town and so on. In all instances, Gold picks up something that the reader or food enthusiasts should try. The result is that people start to be more culturally diverse and dispel the stereotypes that hold them back from embracing cultural diversity. It is precisely what the country want, a way to communicate to the heart and souls of the Americans, to make them realize the values of diversity (Gold para.29). Importantly, to understand that today world is more diverse and accommodative than it used to be in the 1800s, where the whites dominated the spheres of economic, culture, politics, religion among others. Jonathan Gold is not promoting one type of the food over the other, neither does he just give a flat critique on some groups of people. Any review offered is highly objective, based on the evaluation of the taste, a method of preparation, appearance and the presentation. In the views of Gold, all chefs are equal and will be considered that way, what determines the success is in the taste and the healthiness of the food. For example, Jonathan is very critical of the different kinds of fermentations that are undertaken by the Japanese chefs in the preparation of their cuisines (Gold para. 33). However, he does mention that once the final meal is placed on the table, it smells good and tastes excellent. Furthermore, he highlights other types of cuisines that are offered in the restaurant helping to expand the reader's mind and arouse the curiosity to visit the restaurant and sample the cuisine. In another instance, Gold contributes to demystify the stereotypes surrounding the Native Americans staple food such as corn and squash. He offers interesting views on how this mixture is made into an exciting main course or as a breakfast for the morning. The result is that the average American views through the foods are being expanded, opened up and made more liberal. For example, many Americans have negative views concerning the Chinese and the type of food that they eat. Because it is assumed that the Chinese are everywhere, although it is true, Chinese restaurants are spread across all the cities, and they are presumed to eat everything, chicken head, claws, the dogs and so on. Particularly on the issue of dogs that are sacred pets in the American society, people develop a dislike or negative attitudes against the Chinese cuisines. However, Gold diversifies the views of the reader, making him or how to understand the seasoned pork meat at the restaurant and curried rice among others. The reader is made to think beyond the conventional narrative and to have a bigger picture. In the end, they become more culturally conscious and embrace diversity. Over the 150 years, African Americans have suffered denigration through food by the prejudices held by the people in power. For example, it is ruled that the African Americans' are unhealthy due to their craving for meat, especially chicken. It is no mistake that when a Bangladeshi living in the Kentucky rebranded his eatery name to Obama chicken fry, it attracted a lot of street protests and the eventual closure of the eatery. In America, the blacks are associated with grilled and roasted meat of all types. Undoubtedly, the meat is used as a racial stigma on the people of color. Jonathan Gold is helping to change this, by highlighting the best barbecues as being in African American restaurants, therefore moving people to think above these cultural prejudices and stereotypes. In my view, American society is at a critical phase of its growth and development. The population of the minority groups such as Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians and so on is growing faster compared to the whites. Consequently, multiculturalism is becoming the defining nature of the society. However, success is held back by the people who still hold negative and perverted views about fellow Americans’. The revolution to bring multiculturalism will be driven by the visual culture, simply because of its ability to provoke the thoughts and feelings of the audience. In conclusion, Chang’s give a detailed account of the problem of race in America. He makes it clear that the election of the first black president in America is not indicative of the end of racial tensions among the white majority and the minority groups. However, he offers hope, in the future generalization that is already cultural diverse. The work done by Jonathan Gold is intended to expound on the need to embrace cultural diversity. By giving the readers’ different accounts of various cuisines, no doubt it will change the thoughts and views of many and help address the entrenched problem of racism in America once and for all. Works Cited Chang, Jeff. Who We Be. The Colorization of America. St. Martin’s Press (2017), p. 2-24. Gold, Jonathan. The World’s best restaurant opens a pop-up in Mexico. Jonathan Gold tastes its beauty and conflict. Los Angeles Times (2017). Read More