Racial Sterotype

True Story

On recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. “I will be right back and we’ll go to eat, “she told her husband and carried the coin- laden bucket to the elevator. As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was tall…very tall…an intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was; these two are going to rob me. Her next thought was: Don’t be a bigot; they look like perfectly nice gentlemen. But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn’t read her mind but gosh, they had to know what she was thinking!!!

Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now. Her face was flushed. She couldn’t just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator didn’t move. Panic consumed her. My God, she thought, I’ am trapped and about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore. Then on of the men said, “Hit the floor” Instinct told her to do what they told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed.

More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, “Ma’am, if you’ll just tell us what floor you’re going to, we’ll push the button” The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her feet. “When I told my friend here to hit the floor, “said the average sized one, “I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn’t mean for you to hit the floor, ma’am “He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing. The woman thought: My God, what a spectacle I’ve made of myself. She was humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn’t know what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator. The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband.
The next morning flowers were delivered to her room- a dozen roses. Attached each rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said: “Thanks for the best laugh we’ve had in years” it was signed; Eddie Murphy, Michael Jordan

Meet Marcus Samuelsson

My journey to becoming a chef was a circuitous one. I was born in Ethiopia and adopted by a Swedish family after my mother died in a tuberculosis epidemic when I was three years old. My Swedish grandmother was a terrific cook -- she'd worked at an inn on the Swedish coast where she cooked three meals a day, six days a week for several years -- and by the time I was six, I was spending countless hours with her in the kitchen. She had an immense respect for food and and passed along her knowledge and passion for fine ingredients and flawless techniques. We made breads and cookies and all the traditional Swedish dishes like gravlax, meatballs, and salt-cured duck. I loved everything she prepared, so it came as no surprise to anyone when I decided to become a chef and enrolled in cooking school at 14. I went on to apprentice in France, Austria, and Switzerland before landing as executive chef of Aquavit in 1996.
At Aquavit, I blend the traditional Swedish cooking of my childhood with classic French techniques, the exacting precision of traditional Austrian pastry making, and the exciting flavors I've discovered in New York and on my travels. Because a good meal should engage all the senses, I think it's important to add exciting flavors for the palate and dramatic impact for the eyes. I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to add excitement to food presentation, whether it's serving fish on glass blocks that conjure up images of ice or using tiles to present small bites of food that people can eat with their hands. It's less formal, more interesting, and a whole lot more fun.
My cooking is a very personal reflection of my life, combining European, American, and African influences with inspiration from my travels around the world. I look forward to sharing these influences with you here on Yahoo! and to hearing about your own adventures in the kitchen. Please send in your thoughts, questions, and recipe requests and let's inspire each other to discover a wonderful world of flavors

March 21 is International Day......

March 21, 1990 is the 30th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa when peaceful demonstrators against aphartheid were wounded and killed. In commemoration of this tragic event, the United nations declared March 21 the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 1966.

On December 20, 1983, the general Assembly of the UN called upon all states and organizations to participate in the program of action for the second decade to combat racism and racial discrimination.

On March 21,1986, the Canadian Prime Minister proclaimed in the house of commons Canada's participation in the second decade and called on all Canadians to join together in "extending their efforts to insure the rapid eradication of racism and racial discrimination and the realization of mutual understanding, respect, equality and justice for all Canadisns."

In September 1988, ministers attending a federal/provincial/territorial ministerial conference on human rights agreed to commemorate March 21 in all Canadian Jurisdictions.