Personally, I don’t dig jackfruits. Like a Wise Old Man once said, “It’s just not my thing.”
But that’s not to say that Jackfruit’s ‘bad’ or anything, like durians; with a texture that’s not dissimilar to a banana, mango, or pineapple in terms of being dense and fibrous, the jackfruit tastes sweet to some and might even possess a flavour similar to pulled pork, especially when cooked.
Truly, it’s no wonder why Asia’s so appreciative of it.
But that’s not what everyone thinks
For as you might’ve implied from the article headline, a UK-Based website has just come under fire for publishing its article “Jackfruit is a vegan sensation – could I make it taste delicious at home?”, a take that resonated less than fluidly with the audience.
Lest you’re too busy to read through the whole thing, here’s the main gist of the article: in the excerpt, the fruit’s described as one that just recently became a popular ingredient in Western vegan cuisine, despite the fact that it’s one of the biggest delicacies in Asian countries.
Also, the writer portrayed the Jackfruit not as a popular delicacy, but an underappreciated food source in Asia.
“Five years ago, jackfruit was just a spectacularly ugly, smelly, unfarmed, unharvested pest-plant native to India,” the article reads.
“Some people ate it, but only if they had nothing better to eat.”
Wow.
And it touched a nerve. Nerves.
As a Jackfruit lover might tell you, the fruit’s so far from being an “unfarmed and unharvested pest-plant” that even a long-distance relationship might come closer.
And as the same Jackfruit lover will surely testify, the Jackfruit is a delicacy that Asians have been appreciating for thousands of years in a variety of styles, and is a popular ingredient used in curries and desserts.
So what’s the writer smoking, you wonder.
Well, that’s probably what these Netizens thought, as they laid bare their thinly-veiled rage.
Honestly white folks, what is SO GODDAMN HARD abt saying “I didn’t know abt this food as a good option for non meat eaters before & now I’m learning how it’s used by other cultures & how to adapt it in other dishes” w/o being a racist judgy condescending ass? https://t.co/OeFwMP3FNZ
— Michi: Adorable Tiny Demon 🔥🇵🇭🇺🇸🍜📖🦄 (@GeekMelange) March 31, 2019
Only the Guardian could take a story about jackfruit and make it kind of racist. https://t.co/RCXyjb3LBQ
— Palle! (@Palle_Hoffstein) March 31, 2019
https://twitter.com/priyankalind/status/1111209454379372546
Thank you wypipo vegans. THANK YOU! Without you I would have NEVER found out about the fruit of a tree that has been in my front yard for at least 40 years! OMG THANK YOU SO MUCHhttps://t.co/F8LUFUtD95
— Zedeck Siew (@zedecksiew) March 30, 2019
Oh the caucasity at work here. No, jackfruit never "used to be left to rot on the tree." It's been eaten and enjoyed by generations of South and Southeast Asians for centuries. It's literally the national fruit of Bangladesh. Do some actual research. https://t.co/TUjSDyNNl4
— Misha (@mbuggie42) March 31, 2019
Omg how can the @Guardian not be embarrassed by an article so chock full of lazy, culturally-uninformed bullshit https://t.co/SFDiWpwRMl
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) March 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/yesitshanna/status/1111848619533950976
And I don’t blame them either. If someone said the same thing about dragonfruit…
And so… now what?
Well, for starters I would suggest that you don’t believe everything you see on the Internet.
Because believe me, if everyone swallowed the writer’s words and started thinking that Asians hated jackfruits or something…
They’re in for a rude awakening once they touch down in yellow Asian airports.
