US brand apologises after claiming it ‘improved’ Chinese congee for the Western palate

Critics say it is another example of cultural whitewashing or exoticising staples of Asian life

The company updated its mission statement after the backlash and said it would work harder to ‘educate ourselves’

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Published: 5:00pm, 21 Jul 2021Updated: 5:00pm, 21 Jul 2021

A US company selling pre-packaged congee has apologised to the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community after receiving public backlash over its claims to have “improved congee”.

The Oregon-based company, named Breakfast Cure, was founded by Karen Taylor in 2017, a white woman, which prompted accusations of cultural whitewashing.

The language was interpreted by many in the AAPI community to be dismissive towards a dish that is a staple across Asia. They also said it was an example of Western businesses “discovering” Asian culture and misappropriating it for their customers.

An example of a Breakfast Cure pre-packaged congee dish advertised on their Instagram page. Photo: Instagram

In response, Breakfast Cure changed the title and content of the advertising post that caused offence. It also updated its mission statement to say that it “fell short of supporting and honouring the Asian-American community” and is “deeply sorry”.

“We take full responsibility for any language on our website or in our marketing and have taken immediate steps to remedy that and educate ourselves. [We revised] our mission to not just create delicious breakfast meals, but to become a better ally for the AAPI community,” it said.

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