Response to Jamie Oliver's Cultural Appropriation Recipe

The beloved TV chef, Jamie Oliver, has faced a great deal of criticism due to his ready meal called ‘Punchy Jerk Rice’, supposedly based off a Jamaican dish. The MP Down Butler, Labour’s shadow minister for women and equalities, has pointed out that Oliver simply does not understand the recipe, commenting: “It’s not just a word you put before stuff to sell products”.
She was attacked on that statement, due to people pointing out that food does not have to do anything with cultural appropriation. Others defended her because her opinion simply does not imply that people that are not from Jamaica should not make the dish, rather than the ruined national dish.
The chef and entrepreneur who taught him the recipe, Levi Roots, simply pointed that it was a “mistake”, but could have been neither Jamie’s nor his team’s fault and he may have not been involved at all. Although he did agree with presenter Kate Garraway’s suggestion that the culinary controversy centered around what ingredients the jerk flavour should contain.
As a response, Oliver said that he did not want to cause any confrontation and just wanted to point out where his inspiration came from, commenting: “I’ve worked with flavours and spices from all over the world my whole career, learning and drawing inspiration from different countries and cultures to give a fresh twist to the food we eat every day.”
> Maria Baeva