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A Distorted Diet
By Grace Zhang, Staples High School ‘25
Walking through the grocery store, the same roasted seaweed and soup dumplings I was mocked for in elementary school now line the shelves, their matte, minimally-designed packages perfect for mass appeal. Meanwhile, the MSG and GMOs listed in the ingredients are scrutinized in the media, despite corn products saturating nearly every processed food in the American diet. American cultural norms, rooted in cultural erasure, media-driven fear, and corporate commodification, condition people to have misinformed perceptions of food. We don’t just eat a monoculture of meals; we consume layers of deception, from not knowing what’s in our food to erasing its origins of it.
American cultural norms have long been shaped by racism, which erases the true origins of food to center instead on the white narrative. For example, Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor at Texas Monthly, notes how people inside and out of the state tend to reduce barbecue to a simplistic craft, often with a White owner (Ramirez and Kuo). Ignoring the Black pitmasters who pioneered southern barbecue based on their unique experiences for survival, White pitmasters like Aaron Franklin now dominate the mainstream, stemming from the American societal tendency to only praise White achievement. I see familiar Asian foods like roasted seaweed and red bean paste repackaged as trendy exotic snacks. When dominant groups rewrite food history, they reinforce the idea that ethnic foods only have value when rebranded for white customers. Even Trader Joe’s, a grocery store praised for branching out to global offerings, has faced and denied criticism for giving products caricatured names like “Trader Ming’s” for Asian foods (Waller). The result is a cycle of ignorance where people enjoy gentrified versions of dishes while remaining indifferent or even hostile to their authentic origins.
Media narratives in American society further distort public perceptions by framing certain foods as unhealthy or dangerous. Most notably, the myth of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” which falsely links MSG (monosodium glutamate) to headaches, emerged only when the ingredient was associated with Asian cuisine, despite its widespread use in American processed foods (Kean). Despite being disproved, masses readily believed the myth, likely driven by xenophobia. Similarly, “clean eating” trends in nutrition glorify Eurocentric diets while implying other cultural foods are inherently unhealthy (Melton). The Mediterranean diet is idealized in social media and even nutritionist education, while some healthy Latin American cuisine is demonized, especially in their non-authentic forms. Fear-mongering around GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) exacerbates this issue, like when propaganda depicts genetically modified tomatoes with fish tails (Blancke). The education system does not readily prepare people to understand research and critical thinking. These portrayals are not just misleading; they reinforce cultural discrimination and condition consumers to reject unfamiliar ingredients, while uncritically accepting processed American staples. The media’s role in shaping food fears demonstrates how deeply racism and misinformation influence what Americans consider good or bad to eat.
Corporate interests dominate American food culture, replacing authenticity with homogenized and profit-driven alternatives. As Michael Pollan notes, corn saturates pretty much every product in the supermarket, from soft drinks to chicken nuggets, illustrating how monopolies prioritize cheap, unhealthy ingredients over diverse culinary traditions, which most consumers aren’t aware of (Pollan). Meanwhile, the commodification of ethnic foods, like $10 tacos, rewards assimilation while pushing out immigrant vendors who preserve traditional methods. Johnny Walker, a historian of Southern cuisine in the U.S., highlights how enslaved Africans transformed unwanted cuts of meat into beloved dishes within barbecue, only for white pitmasters to later claim recognition (Ramirez and Kuo). This pattern persists with corporations repackaging cultural flavors for mass appeal, ensuring the most commercially successful narratives survive.
Some argue that if people just “do their research,” they’ll make better choices and fix misinformed food perceptions. However, this ignores the systemic forces at play: corporate lobbying to keep nutrition labels vague, media sensationalism that fuels xenophobic food fears, and cultural appropriation that rewards whiteness over authenticity. While grassroots efforts like social media campaigns calling out Trader Joe’s racist branding are important, they are not enough. The FDA must enforce stricter labeling laws to highlight hidden additives like corn derivatives, and public schools should teach nutrition and biology through an international lens. Additionally, food corporations must be held accountable for profiting off stolen traditions while casting off immigrant creators.
Back in the grocery aisle, the paradox is clear. America’s food system isn’t just broken; it’s built on deception. By demanding transparency, supporting authentic food businesses, and rejecting racist or uneducated narratives, we can reshape how we eat in America.
Works Cited
Athuman, Shaban. Brent and Juan Reaves. Dallas Morning News, www.shabanathuman.com/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Blancke, Stefaan. "Why People Oppose GMOs Even Though Science Says They Are Safe." Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2015, www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-people-oppose-gmos-even-though-science-says-they-are-safe/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Kean, Sam. "The Rotten Science Behind the MSG Scare." Science History Institute Museum & Library, 2 Mar. 2023, www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-rotten-science-behind-the-msg-scare/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Makarenko, Adam. Tomato with Fish Tail. 20 Apr. 2012. Maclean's, macleans.ca/society/life/tomorrows-food/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Melton, Tamara. "Our Idea of Healthy Eating Excludes Other Cultures, and That's a Problem." Self, 31 July 2018, www.self.com/story/our-idea-of-healthy-eating-excludes-other-cultures-and-thats-a-problem. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma : a Natural History of Four Meals. 10th ed., Penguin Books, 2016.
Ramirez, Juan, and Stephanie Kuo, producers. "Erasing Black Barbecue." Racist Sandwich, episode 58, 26 Sept. 2018. Spotify, open.spotify.com/episode/2k8wEAzVHtWHPHt2LZzaum?si=og9lwpSSRqyFo4MJXaZuyw. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Waller, Allyson. "Trader Joe's Defends Product Labels Criticized as Racist." The New York Times, 1 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/08/01/us/trader-joes-jose-ming-joe-san.html. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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