Now that spring is officially here, a lot of folks have Easter eggs on the mind. And while most of us associate Easter eggs with warm and happy feelings, one particular chef’s chocolate Easter egg is causing the exact opposite.
On Saturday, April 6th, pastry chef Frank Haasnoot posted a chocolate Easter egg, and people were not happy.
As an acclaimed Dutch pastry chef, Haasnoot has quite the following. (In 2011, he won first place at the World Chocolate Masters.) He’s known for his beautiful and elegant creations, but unfortunately, one of his most recent Instagram photos may have missed the mark.
His Easter egg was made of dark chocolate with an enormous blunt and saggy eyes.
It also wore a gold chain and crown. Shortly after Haasnoot posted the Easter egg, the comments and likes started piling in. While most people loved it, some users expressed their disappointment with the creation, stating that it was perpetuating racist stereotypes.
Joshua David Stein, a food writer, shared the photo on his own Instagram and called out Haasnoot. “Racism, alive and well this Easter,” said Stein in his caption. “Even more sickening are the hundreds of supportive comments.” According to an article on Eater, Chef Kwame Onwuachi and hospitality activist Ashtin Berry also re-posted the picture and criticized the chocolate Easter egg.
Haasnoot, who has over 300,000 followers, is known for his impeccable creations.
On his Instagram, he shares a wide range of pastry projects.
For example, his followers love his realistic chocolate roses.
Haasnoot also shares photos of him teaching classes all over the world.
And with Easter around the corner, posting a chocolate egg is both timely and seasonal.
Besides, who doesn’t love chocolate eggs?
This particular egg wasn’t well-received by some people, though.
Haasnoot has deleted the post, but he has yet to apologize.
However, he has posted another Easter egg creation.
But as it turns out, the Easter egg in question is technically still on his Instagram.
He had first shared the chocolate Easter egg last year.
Interestingly, it didn’t spark backlash at the time. The photo somehow slipped through the cracks.
This isn’t the first time an egg-themed creation has caused a controversy.
Parents were furious when they found toys that said “KKK” in Kinder Eggs.
This blonde Kinder Surprise Egg toy declaring its support for the KKK #MildlyInteresting pic.twitter.com/la2bIo4MgI
— Mildy Interesting (@Little_Interest) September 18, 2018
Neither situation is very cool, to say the least.
Trump-haired Kinder egg with KKK balloons#WTF #LOL pic.twitter.com/Jx7iLgxgcm
— Elad Levy (@mrlevyelad) November 7, 2018
Here’s to hoping similar situations don’t happen again.
Easter eggs symbolize new life and the spring season.
They’re often associated with positive messages and warm welcomes, too.
Why don’t we keep it that way?
