What does this mean?

Question

What does fried chicken or watermelon have to do with a races comment to blacks. What do they represent. I really want to know

A couple a days ago I was arguing wiyh this teacher and he said "go back to your watermelon and fried chicken."

I think that teacher ment it in a bad way. If you know any other meanings of it tell me.

Answer 1

That's a racist stereotype started during the 1830 in minstrel shows where white men would paint their faces and mock African Americans. Even though every races has people that eat chicken and watermelons, some people are so ignorant that they still believe the stereotype. It would be like believing that all white people are corny, can't dance, smell like dogs when wet, are smug, are racist, that all Asians eat dogs and are smart and that all Mexicans steal.

Answer 2

Nothing really. It's because those are the two types of food found at a lot of "black BBQs". But I hate watermelon w/ a passion so I don't eat it. I dont' remember the last time I was at a BBQ...

But I like fried chicken. I don't LOVE it, but I like it.
But NE way, collard greens, sweet potato pie, mac-n-cheese, etc, would also be on this list.

Answer 3

first of all stereotyping is wrong, and no one should use stereotyping as insult.
I'm German, do I like sauerkraut and wiener schnitzel..Hitler?
NO, like all lies(or most) there usually is a tiny bit of truth.
do people from my heritage like those things-a lot of them did.
I've always associated those things with southerners- not blacks in general, but because early Americans(especially in the south) used to have slaves, you have to realize cooked for the slave owners and many "southern" recipes are historically dated back to slaves of African heritage they had developed the recipes,(I do realize watermelon isn't a recipe, but there are alot of recipes that use watermelon that were infact developed by black slaves)
accually you'll find that after slavery was considered illegal the majority of businesses opened by previous slaves were food realated. It's the same way with many heritages, they stuck with what they learned and developed as slaves-or possibly what they where known for, even on alot of house hold items picture of black women where on the front. the united states have been developed in similar ways, where I live russian food is common at one time there were russian slaves here.
and there are dishes that they didn't have in russia that they developed later on. this is a more recent example.
do a little research about origins of fried chicken.
you might be surprized.
and they used black people to advertise good food-they still do
It's odd but you can't deny there are often connections between thing things that when compared they are politicaly correct.

Answer 4

The foods blacks were supposed to be fondest of as a "race" were fried chicken, watermelon, pork chops, sweet potatoes, grits and chitterlings.

Part of the myth was that this was because produce and small livestock was easily stolen.

All I can say is that except for the "chitlins" it is all good.

Answer 5

I saw a documentary last week...they were saying since restaurants were segregated..and the coloreds didn't have anywhere to eat out..they figured that fried chicken packed and kept well in a picnic box . It also was good hot or cold......and for dessert a fruit like watermelon would feed a big crowd and no muss transpoting it to the picnic site.

Answer 6

It's a stereotype that blacks' favorite foods are fried chicken and watermelon.

Answer 7

That many black people like to eat fried chicken and watermelon

Answer 8

I don't really understand it, but supposedly all black people like fried chicken and Watermelon. I don't think they represent anything, it's just some dumb thing.

Answer 9

It just means that most of the Black folks enjoy eating fried chicken and watermelon more often. I am black and I love eating it. We also love to eat collard greens.

Answer 10

Do the morons still do that? I live in the deep south and racism is still alive and incredibly ugly. But it's on both sides of the fence. I'm old enough to remember "Whites Only" drinking fountains. Had a black, errr, "African-American" sociology professor. She was the biggest racist I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. The school was well aware of her antics but was afraid to fire her. Go figure. Hate racism. I like what Teddy Roosevelt had to say about it (back then it was Irish-Americans and Italian-Americans). He said, the hyphenation is what divides us.