This morning I read with a mix of amusement and exasperation a post on Gothamist describing a campaign to remove the Alessi Mandarin Juicer on display at several Pinkberry locations in Manhattan. The juicer, pictured here, is a plastic goblet in the shape of an Asian man. His hat -- in the style of the traditional straw hat worn in the Chinese countryside -- reverses to reveal a citrus reamer underneath. You can juice an orange and the juice goes directly into the cup through slits in the hat.Apparently the source of outrage fueling the campaign is the perception that this juicer is a caricature of the traditional Coolie laborer and therefore demeaning to Asians. The "Drop the Juicer!" website set up to promote the cause (yes, they set up a website!) alleges that these juicers "emasculate Asian males, reducing them to slit-eyed plastic bowls that become orange or yellow in color as more oranges or lemons are squeezed upon their rice paddy hats. It’s hard to see the humor in that."
Who sees the humor in that? I do. So does my mother. A few years ago when I first saw the Mandarin Juicer at Chiasso (back when Chiasso still had an extensive chain of brick and mortar stores), I thought it was adorable and I immediately bought one. Everything about it was hilarious: the fact it was immediately identifiable as an Asian man, the ingenious design of the hat with the hidden reamer inside, the pun of the name "Mandarin" referring to both the fruit and a Chinese bureaucrat. I gave it to my mother for Christmas (incidentally, the one I bought her was yellow) and she proudly displays it on her sideboard. Guess what my mother got for Christmas last year? An Alessi Queen Chin Spice Grinder, and a Mr. and Mrs. Chin Salt and Pepper Set. And you know what? She was absolutely delighted.
The Chin Family line of products was designed by Stefano Giovannoni (the same designer behind the Mandarin Juicer) as part of a collaboration between Alessi and the National Palace Museum of Taiwan. While my mother and I share a love of European design and both of us like almost everything by Alessi, I think that she was particularly appreciative of the fact that the Chin Family designs reflect Eastern culture. Because we're Asian. And we think these housewares are whimsical, functional, and beautifully designed. (I should also mention that I am probably more sympathetic to the historical plight of Coolie laborers than most; it so happens that the subject of my honors thesis in college was the Coolie trade to Latin America.)So the sad outcome of this brouhaha is that Pinkberry (which incidentally was founded by two Korean-Americans) apparently caved and agreed to remove the Mandarin Juicer from all of its locations. And the punchline of this saga? It was instigated by (of course) a law student and a lawyer. Let's try to only use our powers for good, folks.
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