Selective Acceptance
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Buettner's reading highlights the selective acceptance of South Asians in Britain. He refers to the concept of "boutique multiculturalism" which refers to a fascination with specific, surface-level aspects of South Asian culture, such as food, without a deeper acceptance of the community as a whole. For example, although curries and other dishes have become central to British cuisine, negative stereotypes about South Asians such as bad smell, and “inauthentic” food, continue to follow them. I found it interesting how Buettner noted that these criticisms even come from within the South Asian community itself, where South Asians call the traditional “curry house” model not authentic enough. This criticism also comes from the fact that the vast majority of Indian restaurants are manned by Bangladeshis.
This selective acceptance is also visible in young people who use the consumption of South Asian food to perform masculinity. Buettner writes of young men who compete against their friends to see who can handle the spiciest dish. While this seems like a silly yet harmless embrace of South Asian culture, it often coincides with mockery. The young men are quoted making fun of waitstaff who were expected to act in a certain "servient" way. They use foreign cuisine to prove to their friends that they are special based on the idea that consuming South Asian food is social deviance.
The hypocrisy of British society is evident through this selective acceptance of South Asian culture. Food is such a major part of South Asian culture, so to accept South Asian food as a way to diversify the British palette without accepting the entire community is a massive insult. The idea of British multiculturalism is a hazy screen, covering the fact that only certain parts of other cultures are tolerated.