Your thoughts on Aunt Jemima

Golden memories: When I was a kid in the '40s, I loved Aunt Jemima's pancakes and syrup served in the morning by my grandmother. I ate plenty of them. My grandmother even showed me how cook them and when to turn. I loved Aunt Jemima's picture: she looked like a wonderful, loving person who was also a good cook.

That said, I totally get it and don't have a problem with getting rid of racial stereotypes. But I still have fond memories of Aunt Jemima.

But somewhere along the way they stopped using maple syrup. Now it's sugar syrup with maple flavoring. That won't do.

When I remember, I buy syrup from the Vermont guys who bring the Xmas trees in December. But you can get real syrup from other sources.

But somewhere along the way they stopped using maple syrup. Now it's sugar syrup with maple flavoring. That won't do.

When I remember, I buy syrup from the Vermont guys who bring the Xmas trees in December. But you can get real syrup from other sources.

When I was five years old, I didn't care whether it was real or fake. It was sweet. But I also think when I was a kid, Aunt Jemima's used a small percentage of real maple syrup. (I could be wrong.)

Now, as a adult, I always have a jug or two of real maple syrup on hand. That will do.

I've never had Aunt Jemima but I read in the same story that they are gong to rebrand Uncle Ben and I do use that rice.

Can't say that I've ever thought about the picture; but the name is memorable and the picture makes it easy to pick the box out from others on supermarket shelves.

I'm not someone who gets too bent out of shape about 'microaggressions'. It's part of being human and everyone gets offended or feels uncomfortable for one reason or another. Obviously we all strive to be as polite and respectful as possible, but just because that doesn't always work out doesn't mean you are necessarily oppressed.

That said, Aunt Jemima is a horrible product. Quality-wise, but also the image. It always makes me cringe. If there are any doubts, look up the history. Created shortly after the Civil War in a way that reflected the dehumanized image of black people. It has slightly updated over the years, but only slightly! Not sure how one can defend it.

Uncle Ben's is more ambiguous. It's clearly old-fashioned in every way. So in that sense it might evoke thoughts about the horrors of old-fashioned times. But I don't find the image in and of itself to be dehumanizing.

That said, Aunt Jemima is a horrible product. Quality-wise, but also the image. It always makes me cringe. If there are any doubts, look up the history. Created shortly after the Civil War in a way that reflected the dehumanized image of black people. It has slightly updated over the years, but only slightly! Not sure how one can defend it.

Uncle Ben's is more ambiguous. It's clearly old-fashioned in every way. So in that sense it might evoke thoughts about the horrors of old-fashioned times. But I don't find the image in and of itself to be dehumanizing.

I'm not sure anyone here is defending Aunt Jemima's.

That said, Aunt Jemima is a horrible product. Quality-wise, but also the image. It always makes me cringe. If there are any doubts, look up the history. Created shortly after the Civil War in a way that reflected the dehumanized image of black people. It has slightly updated over the years, but only slightly! Not sure how one can defend it.

Uncle Ben's is more ambiguous. It's clearly old-fashioned in every way. So in that sense it might evoke thoughts about the horrors of old-fashioned times. But I don't find the image in and of itself to be dehumanizing.

I'm not sure anyone here is defending Aunt Jemima's.

Yes, wasn't in reference to anyone here. More of my view on the case. I can see a debate about Uncle Ben's, but less so for AJ.

That said, Aunt Jemima is a horrible product. Quality-wise, but also the image. It always makes me cringe. If there are any doubts, look up the history. Created shortly after the Civil War in a way that reflected the dehumanized image of black people. It has slightly updated over the years, but only slightly! Not sure how one can defend it.

Uncle Ben's is more ambiguous. It's clearly old-fashioned in every way. So in that sense it might evoke thoughts about the horrors of old-fashioned times. But I don't find the image in and of itself to be dehumanizing.

I'm not sure anyone here is defending Aunt Jemima's.

Yes, wasn't in reference to anyone here. More of my view on the case. I can see a debate about Uncle Ben's, but less so for AJ.

Mrs. Butterworth is even more ambiguous than Uncle Ben's. As was Land o' Lakes' Indian on their butter (I wonder I still have any of the old cartons in my freezer).


WARNING: Joke Ahead


Now I'm beginning to look at other logos: Starbucks' mermaid may be speciest. And the girl on Morton's salt may be exploited or be a victim of child abuse, having to stand in the rain.

Don't get me started on the Coppertone girl.

[Jenise]

Yes, wasn't in reference to anyone here. More of my view on the case. I can see a debate about Uncle Ben's, but less so for AJ.

Appreciated. I honestly think since I'm white it doesn't matter what I think (though I agree with you). What people with the skin color depicted on these products, though, does.

I'm surprised Cream of Wheat wasn't mentioned yet in this thread.

Having lived all my life in New England, it's always been 100% maple syrup or nothing. No place for Aunt Jemima. Uncle Ben's was the rice I grew up with. I still prefer it in Cajun and Creole dishes. My everyday rice is Thai jasmine rice. I use basmati rice for and with most Indian dishes.

In junior high school we had the trick of folding up the knees of the Land O'Lakes girl.

-Paul W.

Having lived all my life in New England, it's always been 100% maple syrup or nothing. No place for Aunt Jemima. Uncle Ben's was the rice I grew up with. I still prefer it in Cajun and Creole dishes. My everyday rice is Thai jasmine rice. I use basmati rice for and with most Indian dishes.
-Paul W.

I virtually never ate rice until I moved out on my own. It was always potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes in my home. After I left home I didn't eat a potato for two years, using >sorry< Minute Rice. (Now, on my low-carb diet, I'd love to eat potatoes.)

Then I discovered real rice and I now have jasmine rice, basmati (white and brown), short-grain brown, long-grain white, black rice, red rice, arborio, Uncle Ben's, wild rice*--both paddy grown and the true wild rice collected by Minnesota Indians. And, now I eat very little rice. Sad.

*Yes, I know.

On racial profiling, I recall one ad (I don't recall which product it was for) that took flak for showing a food factory largely manned by black workers and then they interviewed a guy in a white coat (presumably some sort of food scientist) who was, predictably, white.

Only thing was, that the ad had been shot in a real factory with real employees. Would it have been better to fake it up by adding a bunch of white line workers, or maybe a black guy in a white coat as scientist? I don't think so. The portrayal may have been an implicit picture of the existing situation, which one could have some reaction to, but would faking it to pretend otherwise somehow improve on that?

I never liked the Aunt Jemima image, but for whatever reason Uncle Ben never bothered me.

Some might find this interesting:

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainme ... ng/394958/

[David M. Bueker]

Another New Englander here who prefers that the maple syrup imitators disappear from the earth.

I married into a family with deep southern heritage, and Uncle Ben’s was considered sacrilege.

Another New Englander here who prefers that the maple syrup imitators disappear from the earth.

Of course, you realize if that happened, there wouldn't enough maple syrup to go around. And I hear that climate change and other factors are adversely affecting yield.

Another New Englander here who prefers that the maple syrup imitators disappear from the earth.

Of course, you realize if that happened, there wouldn't enough maple syrup to go around. And I hear that climate change and other factors are adversely affecting yield.

I'm not sure that's the case. There are huge, untapped maple forests in this country, including many regions like Ohio that people don't think of. Basically any temperate forest region that has spring frost/thaw cycle can support maple sugaring. Just look for places that have terrible potholes!

Aunt Jemima, as a literal minstrel character, should have gone away 50 years ago. My grandmother, as a child of the Depression, never threw anything useful away and had some firecrackers with the most horrific stereotypes of a clown-lipped Black child eating watermelon while barefoot. I think they were from the 40s. I guarantee you our kids will look back on this era in horror.

Another New Englander here who prefers that the maple syrup imitators disappear from the earth.

Of course, you realize if that happened, there wouldn't enough maple syrup to go around. And I hear that climate change and other factors are adversely affecting yield.

I'm not sure that's the case. There are huge, untapped maple forests in this country, including many regions like Ohio that people don't think of. Basically any temperate forest region that has spring frost/thaw cycle can support maple sugaring. Just look for places that have terrible potholes!

Aunt Jemima, as a literal minstrel character, should have gone away 50 years ago. My grandmother, as a child of the Depression, never threw anything useful away and had some firecrackers with the most horrific stereotypes of a clown-lipped Black child eating watermelon while barefoot. I think they were from the 40s. I guarantee you our kids will look back on this era in horror.

Climate change is driving the freeze-thaw cycle farther north. It won't affect you and me for maple syrup, but it will for future folks. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112719303019 shows projected effects on maple syrup production. OTOH, I scored a clearance-priced bottle of maple syrup today, so I'm a happy camper.

True, on looking back on this era: I know that as an adult, but as a 5-year-old child 70 years ago what did I know about Aunt Jemima except I liked her picture? FWIW, I have plenty of ragtime piano sheet music dating from the first part of last century with covers showing Blacks eating watermelons, painting fences, eating bbq, dancing and carrying on, etc. But I owe a lot to ragtime to helping me master rhythm on the piano. (And I got word today the French restaurant where I play has reopened and I'll be playing there again.)

FWIW, I have plenty of ragtime piano sheet music dating from the first part of last century with covers showing Blacks eating watermelons, painting fences, eating bbq, dancing and carrying on, etc. But I owe a lot to ragtime to helping me master rhythm on the piano. (And I got word today the French restaurant where I play has reopened and I'll be playing there again.)

I like and play ragtime, too. Indeed, some of the cover art is appalling by today's standards. Lyrics, too.

Larry, I hope you know Bill Edwards' site: http://ragpiano.com/pbmidiall.shtml

Larry, I hope you know Bill Edwards' site: http://ragpiano.com/pbmidiall.shtml

I do now. Cool site.

What kind of piano do you have?

I think all the lawn jockeys in our neighborhood (suburban Hartford, CT) were gone by 1970.

-Paul W.

Recall a very long ago Halloween party where one guy showed up as a lawn jockey complete with blak face and a bridle over his shoulder. Thought it was a pretty nekulturney thing to do.

Larry, I hope you know Bill Edwards' site: http://ragpiano.com/pbmidiall.shtml

I do now. Cool site.

What kind of piano do you have?

Growing up I had a Krakauer "apartment grand" - all of 5' long. It was Mom's, ivory keys and all. But it needed more work than she wanted to give it so we got a fruitwood Kimball console, one of the last they ever made. When Pumpkin and I merged households, the piano tech said to sell the Kimball and keep his Sohmer console.

I got hooked on Scott Joplin rags by my 7th grade music teacher, a good two years before "The Sting". I treasure those Joshua Rifkin recordings, as they are subtle and intoxicating. I also play a bit of the others in the St Louis school (despite that I live in New York). But only for myself, not at events like you do.

I have a framed copy of "Dill Pickles" on the wall near the piano!

Growing up I had a Krakauer "apartment grand" - all of 5' long. It was Mom's, ivory keys and all. But it needed more work than she wanted to give it so we got a fruitwood Kimball console, one of the last they ever made. When Pumpkin and I merged households, the piano tech said to sell the Kimball and keep his Sohmer console.

I purchased a 1923 mahogany Kurtzmann 5'-6" grand with ivory keys in the early '70s from a piano-tuner neighbor. Around 1980, I refinished and totally rebuilt the piano from the bare shell. That's when I discovered the piano wasn't black; it was mahogany. It's a nice piano and stays in tune a long time between tunings. In a couple of years, I'll have to have a 100th birthday for it.

I saw the rebranded Uncle Ben's--now called Ben's Original--at the supermarket for the first time yesterday. The Uncle Ben picture is gone.

-Paul W.