Gordon Ramsay’s “Authentic” Asian Restaurant Is So Problematic

gordon ramsay

The last few months have been exceptional for Asian representation. Looking at you, Crazy Rich Asians! And of course, we love it. Cultural, racial, and ethnic representation is super important. But when the line between appreciation and exploitation become blurred, that’s when the problems start. Remember when Scarlett Johansson was cast as an Asian character for a movie? Or Emma Stone? Not okay. But this is not a problem specific to the movie industry (even though it still has tons to learn).

Gordon Ramsay, celebrity chef, has been in the news quite a bit lately, and for tons of different reasons. Footage of his very problematic interview in 2010 with Sofia Vergara resurfaced, and it’s as uncomfortable as you’d think. Then more recently, he posted a very ominous tweet with his shadow resembling a human cat (?). That one was less about backlash and more about hilariously strange internet theories behind the tweet. And now, here we are again. Ramsay is under fire once again thanks to his newest restaurant concept.

Where one of his old restaurants used to stand, he’s creating a new one that he seems to think is brilliant and completely original: an “authentic” Asian restaurant called Lucky Cat. Even the name is pretty yikes, if you ask me.

People are not happy.

It seems obvious, but not to Ramsay, apparently.

Solid suggestion!

I told you ScarJo was relevant, here. She’s literally become a verb!

If he can’t make pad Thai, how does he think he can make “authentic” Asian food as the basis of his ENTIRE restaurant?

Ramsay’s restaurant group described it as a “revolutionary new venture and concept for the group.” Ummm…”revolutionary” and “new” don’t really come to mind when talking about cuisine with such a rich history and tradition. Sure, it could be new to them, but it still sounds weird to say it like that.

That weird cat picture is starting to make a little more sense now. Just a little.

This is a lot of peoples’ reactions, and we don’t know how to feel.

Many are also defending Ramsay’s decision to open up an Asian restaurant.

Julia Child was iconic, but that’s not really the point.

People should definitely be able to experience great Asian food. Just remember that one person can’t speak for an entire group.

There’s lots of criticism from multiple angles, but when thinking of why his restaurant is controversial, let’s not forget the flack he received from his show Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted. The premise is literally about Ramsay traveling to other countries to see if he can cook local cuisine better than the people who live there…

Seconded. Just…no.

Being compared to Christopher Columbus is definitely not a compliment, people.

Yikes, he went there! But that’s the actual plot of the show, which is somehow worse.

There’s lots of comparison between Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain, but they definitely had two different agendas.

Some users on Instagram had things to say about this new restaurant.

Here’s that, ahem, creative logo again. Who OK’d this? Just wondering.

I’m sorry, but the pad Thai video (see one of the tweets above) is just too funny. He seriously could not make it and wants to open an Asian restaurant.

Instagram

Is this sarcasm? It shows both sides, but it stings more if she’s referring to how cringey the idea is.

Ramsay has been struggling to keep up a good image (as good of an image someone who yells at other chefs on TV for a living has), but he just seems to keep on sinking. We hope he learns to just stay in his lane the rest of 2019. And apologizes to Sofia Vergara — that was not cool.

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