Doughnuts? I Told You I Don't Like Ethnic Food!

I'm not sure whether this says more about me or society, but this demonstration Ethnic Foods Package from Nimco is just weird. I could see how the enchilada might – might – merit a grant of technical ethnicality (the taco doesn't because it's a "crisp" – i.e., hard-shell – taco), but barbecued chicken?? Cornbread? Spaghetti and meatballs? Pizza?! I grew up on this stuff, and I'm of indisputable northern European ancestry. I mean, jeez. If black-eyed beans (as my youngest sister used to call them) are ethnic, what about Boston baked beans? Belgian waffle, anyone? Given upcoming holiday, how about corned beef 'n' cabbage? Or chicken noodle soup? Then there's chop suey, which was invented in North America for sale to Whitey.

My ad hoc definition of "ethnic food" is, "foods that are not repeatedly eaten except by people reared in the cultural traditions that invented them" (and if you want that operationalized, how about "you can't get it in towns in Iowa"?). Once it loses its unusualness to people descended from other cultural traditions, it stops being "ethnic." The basic concept of ethnicity implies some cultural circumscription. It requires a degree of difference in cultural practice. If it gets served at U.S. armed-forces messes around the globe, it's global; and once it's gone global, it stops being ethnic.