NBC went from eating crow to fried chicken.

After the debacle that was the Jay Leno Show, you would think NBC would keep a low profile. But with black history month, some folks don’t know how to act. They get all excited and want to do extra thangs!! NBC Chef Leslie Calhoun has been trying to get special entrees on the menu for Black History Month. NBC finally relented and gave her every Thursday during the month of February (why do we only get one day a week during the shortest month). Questlove, drummer for The Roots (the greatest rap band in the world and house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), tweeted a picture of a Black History Month menu with the comment: “Hmm HR?” Well if you know anything about race in America you know what happened next.


1. NBC apologized.
2. They took the menu down.
3. Al Roker gave the weather report (chance of snow in the Northeast).
4. And the Chef didn’t apologize……….what??? Now that’s new.


Oh, Calhoun…um……er…..she’s a Sista?? I guess you can’t apologize when you eat the same food. In interviews after the incident she said she didn’t understand why people would be offended. She said “Questlove, who I serve every day and who enjoys my food, requested the neck bone [cooked in] the black-eyed peas and fried chicken, then got off the line, saying, this is racist.” Well I’m confused??? I didn’t even see neck bones on the menu. Let me find out NBC is serving the Number #7 itis inducing food in all of Black America.


In reality, this probably started off as a joke that got out of hand. Questlove aka Questo took the photo not knowing it was going to turn into a lesson in tolerance. My suggestion to him is to be careful about that in the future. NBC doesn’t have a lot of black folk on the network like they did in the 80’s and early 90’s. It’s a recession and we need every black man working. And I’m not really mad at Calhoun for attempting to do something in honor of black history. But why can’t NBC have fried chicken, black eyed peas, greens and smoked turkey any other month? Why does “Soul Food” have to be assigned to February?


I live in North Carolina and I know the real deal on who eats Chicken. White folks will be at Bojangles early in the morning until late at night. They eat chicken like it’s going out of style. Especially those older white folks - they love that chicken. Chicken sandwiches, biscuits, buckets, fried, baked, smothered, rotisserie….they can’t get enough of it. Now I don’t know how those northern whites respond to chicken. They don’t even have real sweet tea (if I go to your restaurant I shouldn’t have to put sugar in my tea, it should already be in there) up north so you be the judge. The funny thing about living down south is that you will always run into someone that has either killed a chicken or watched one being killed. Sometimes I feel inadequate because my chicken already arrives dead…..but I digress.


In the future, I hope that NBC will add Black History items to their regular rotation. They don’t have to wait to have other “Ethnic Foods” on special occasions. Matter of fact they should have Couscous in June, Sushi in November, Haggis in April, Wienerschnitzel in December, Empanada’s stuffed with chorizo in August. Just like Black History should be every month and not only in February. That way when people see Chitlins on the menu in July they won’t yell RACISM!!! And the sista doesn’t have to wait until February to show you how to season food.