By now, you have probably seen or heard about The Guardian‘s embarrassing article about Chinese New Year recipes that featured an image of potstickers alongside a piece of joss paper.
Seeing as joss papers are usually burned as offerings to the deceased in Chinese culture, this stirred up some shocking reactions (and rightfully so).
Culture journalist Vivienne Chow tweeted:
😱TOO stunned to see this in @guardian @ObserverUK Lunar New Year recipes. You most definitely DO NOT pair a LNY dish w joss paper 金銀衣紙 which=hell money you burn for the dead. You DO NOT talk abt death in the New Year! DM me next time if you are unsure https://t.co/YZuw3TTqWe pic.twitter.com/cEk1XdMOST
— Vivienne Chow (@VivienneChow) January 16, 2022
A commenter also noted that BBC Food did something similar by pairing lo mein with envelopes traditionally handed out at funerals (although the image has since been removed).
Another one by @BBCFoodhttps://t.co/Y3NhBw7Y4E
— purplepanda (@Jannalyl) January 16, 2022
In case you didn’t know, the white envelope is usually filled with a piece of candy (a bit of sweetness to take the bitterness of the day away) and a coin for guests to use that same day for good luck – not something you should be putting on the dinner table!
Journalist and photographer Laurel Chor (@laurel_chor) tweeted, “I’m actually struggling to come up with an analogy to explain to those unfamiliar with Chinese culture just how offensive this is. I’m almost laughing at the thought of how my late grandma would react to this… I used to spend hours folding joss paper with her for offerings.”
The only equivalent scenario is if the photographer also stages a Thanksgiving dinner featuring a gravy bowl that’s actually a cremation urn. https://t.co/oADrkQpKuU
— Tony Lin 林東尼 (@tony_zy) January 16, 2022
VICE news producer Tony Lin (@tony_zy) replied, “The only equivalent scenario is if the photographer also stages a Thanksgiving dinner featuring a gravy bowl that’s actually a cremation urn.”
In Hong Kong, Gloria Chung found her inbox flooded with DMs about The Guardian’s article. A well-respected food expert, travel writer and founder of The Props Dept, a food props, styling and photography studio, she took to her Instagram to explain why this was completely unacceptable, and the proper way to shoot and style food that takes culture into consideration.
“At The Props Dept, when it comes to styling, culture is the no.1 issue we care about.”
Gloria Chung, founder of The Props Dept
“Joss paper is supposed to be burnt at Asian funerals as an offering,” she says. “It’s definitely not something you’d put on the CNY table.” After reaching out to several international photographers about The Guardian’s incident for their take on it, she wrote, “their answers blew my mind.”
They included:
- Western media have more freedom in being creative so they don’t set boundaries
- Maybe the photographer or stylist didn’t know about this
- Why can’t they enjoy the food the way they want?
- Why can’t we reimagine Chinese New Year?
And to each, she rebutted:
Western media have more freedom in being creative so they don’t set boundaries
“It’s not about freedom or creativity here. Take The Guardian’s case for example – it’s an EDITORIAL about CHINESE NEW YEAR. It is not an art project. I don’t care if you shoot sweet and sour pork in a cemetery if this is art. But if you are talking about an existing culture, writing about a traditional recipe, be respectful and check. Make sure you are informed. It also shows how lack of representation in the news room considering no one told them about this.”
Maybe the photographer or stylist didn’t know about this
“This is the worst excuse ever. Just like having tattoos with Chinese characters that you don’t understand. If you don’t know, check. Don’t just match the colour or use anything because it looks “cool.” Hey, stylists can do more than this! Be aware and be mindful. Every prop means something. They aren’t just pretty.”
Why can’t they enjoy the food the way they want?
“Yes, you can add as much chilli sauce as possible in your congee (we don’t do this in general) but don’t appropriate the culture or food. Acknowledge it before you put your name tag on. Food evolves with history and culture but how do you evolve without an origin? Respect it. It’s not always about ‘me me me’.”
Why can’t we reimagine Chinese New Year?
“What if we decorate a funeral with a Christmas tree? An Easter bunny for Thanksgiving? When the bottom line is wrong (e.g. using joss paper as a napkin), it’s wrong. People always use the word “reimagine” but based on what? When you don’t even acknowledge or understand the basics of something, how do you “recreate” and “elevate”?”
See Gloria’s Instagram post summary below:
Gloria also took the opportunity to call out other crimes against cultural food styling, including photos where the chopsticks are crossed.
“We never cross the chopsticks because it represents death in China and bad manners in Japan. They have more meanings than just aesthetics,” she says. Another no-no is sticking chopsticks vertically into food, as it looks like an incense offering to the dead. “This is our heritage and culture. Being ‘carefree’ and ‘creative’ does not mean you need to offend any cultures.”
Besides The Guardian’s joss paper gaffe, others pointed out that the photo accompanying Erchen Chang’s recipe – which called for a whole chicken with skin and bone – was deduced to (in Gloria’s words), “a piece of sad poached chicken breast.”
Unfortunately, these incidents will continue to happen until people start taking culture more seriously and being more respectful of it. For now, let’s spread the word, speak up, and make sure our (dead) ancestors are gettin’ that joss money – not us!
Follow Gloria Chung on Instagram @foodandtravelhk and @thepropsdepthk
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