ALES Opts for Authenticity, Citing Cultural Appropriation

Student members and faculty advisers of the Afro-Latino Exonian Society (ALES) dined at local restaurant Mexico Lindo, the only one out of three Mexican restaurants in Exeter boasting authentic cuisine, two weeks ago to show support for the minority-owned business.

ALES conversation about cultural appropriation, an act in which members of a majority culture claim elements of a minority culture as their own, sparked the idea of supporting Mexico Lindo.

Some examples of cultural appropriation discussed in the meeting include wearing an item of cultural significance because “it looks pretty” or dressing up in another culture’s traditional attire for Halloween.

According to ALES co-head and upper Gwendolyn Wallace, the concept of cultural appropriation can be hard for some to understand due to its “multi-faceted and commonplace” nature. “It erases the minority culture and thrives off an already existing power dynamic between the two cultures,” she explained. “It also makes it very easy to love the culture of an oppressed people, but still hold many dangerous prejudices against the actual people.”

This logic fueled the club’s decision to eat at Mexico Lindo as opposed to either Las Olas or Margaritas, the other two Mexican-themed restaurants in Exeter. During discussion, members of ALES agreed that the atmospheres in both restaurants were potential forms of cultural appropriation.

ALES adviser and mathematics instructor Sami Atif said that he and the members of the club were motivated to conduct this dinner to see a real-world economic correlation to cultural appropriation. After the club members “saw what cultural appropriation looks like,” they realized the importance of patronizing Mexico Lindo and supporting authentic cuisine, and also refusing to financially support cultural appropriation.

Wallace hoped that, by asking students to consider the sources of their products, she would remind them that they have “more power than [they] think. We can express our views directly by being careful about where we put our money and doing research about where products come from, the authenticity and the company’s treatment of workers,” Wallace said.

While cultural appropriation is something to be avoided and discouraged, cultural exchange is a different story. ALES co-head and upper Lauren Wilson was quick to point out the differences between the two.

“Obviously fusion food and adapting foods to fit a culture’s palate is okay, but with some of the negative stereotypes and ideas about Mexicans in America, such as the illegal immigrant or landscaper stereotypes, it feels wrong to appreciate some aspects of Mexican culture but not the people themselves,” Wilson said.

In this instance, the club looked at three Mexican restaurants in the area, and two of them seemed to appropriate Mexican and Latino culture. While each restaurant caters to different clientele and has a different atmosphere, all of them fall “under the umbrella of Mexican cuisine,” according to Atif.

However, he pointed out that Mexico Lindo is the only one of the three actually owned by a minority group. Wallace added that it is “important to realize that Las Olas is culturally appropriated ‘Mexican’ food and is not run by the people whose culture it is. This is not to say that their food is not delicious, but it is not authentic,” she said.

This discovery inspired Atif and many members of ALES to mount an attempt to patronize Mexico Lindo. The group received funding from the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) as part of its cultural appropriation campaign. The club then made the trip to Mexico Lindo and had several groups eating at different times throughout the evening. Atif said that the dinner served as an opportunity “not only to have an outing as a group, but also to put some of that rhetoric to test and see how many people would actually want to participate in some type of engagement.”

Dean of Multicultural Affairs Rosanna Salcedo emphasized that the intention of the trip was not to “boycott” Las Olas, but rather to promote awareness and support a local eatery owned and managed by people of color.

Wilson echoed Salcedo’s comments and said the club is not chastising students for dining at Las Olas. Instead, the club hopes to educate Exonians about making informed choices. Wilson acknowledged that Las Olas has “good food” and may be more “convenient,” but highlighted that the sacrifice of a little convenience can make big changes. “We just wanted to present other options to Exonians and show that eating food that truly mirrors the culture of its origin is a worthwhile endeavor,” Wilson said.

The club hopes that their actions will inspire and convince others to think more carefully about their consumption and the details of that consumption. Atif cited the need for more Exeter students to patronize Mexico Lindo to preserve its cultural authenticity and its presence in the town of Exeter.

“[Mexico Lindo] offers authentic Mexican cuisine. However, many times that restaurant doesn’t get patronized by students at our schools,” he said. “I don’t know their books, but this is a business that might be struggling.”

Atif also noted that Mexico Lindo is not a chain, and “if they don’t establish a solid customer base in this area… We don’t know what could happen to it.”

Atif said that he hoped more students would make the conscious choice to eat at Mexico Lindo over some of the other Mexican restaurants in the area, as their dollars could have a significant impact on the business. “It’s a bit of a domino effect. If a few students start to go and become aware of Mexico Lindo, then more students will follow,” he said. “We really believe that economic empowerment is a pathway to change.”

While many students came away from the dinner with a changed view of Mexico Lindo or Las Olas, some weren’t as opinionated about the experience and still had lingering questions. “Students are still young. You might talk to some students who went to the dinner, but they’re still scratching their heads about it,” Atif said. “And that’s fine. But, I think that as they get older and as they have more conversations, they’ll see just how powerful that type of activism really is. And that’s my goal as an adviser.”

Overall, Wallace said she was happy to have the opportunity to engage in some activism and put to action the ideas they had been discussing as a club. They hope to make a difference, one step at a time, beginning with awareness.

According to ALES adviser and history instructor Erik Wade, much of the problem simply lies in ignorance. Through the recent outing, ALES hoped to eradicate some of that ignorance and shed light on an important issue occurring much closer to home than many would expect. He called for students to “think critically about  why we consume what we do on a daily basis. Don’t consume blindly,” he said.