BUZZ
Calling falafel an “Israeli” food is “culturally insensitive,” according to the University at Buffalo Student Association.
Trouble began when the student government posted on Instagram about an International Food Fiesta going on this week. Day 4 included Middle Eastern and North Africa food. After each food, the student association wrote where the dishes are from, including a Palestinian and Ghanaian restaurant.
Next to falafel bar, the student association wrote “Israeli.”
That post reportedly drew backlash from pro-Palestinian activists, leading the student association to delete the graphic and remake it without indication of where the food came from.
In a follow-up post, the student association apologized for the “culturally insensitive” and “offensive” descriptions.
“For years, International Food Fiesta has promoted the rich cultural diversity at the center of UB’s student body,” the graphic stated.
“However, in that spirit, a mistake was made that left many of you feeling antagonized, minimized, and very appropriately disappointed,” student association officials stated.
“While the post has quickly been taken down, we are working to address the impact caused,” leaders promised.
Commentators mocked the student government’s groveling.
“I can attest that Israelis do, in fact, eat felafel, tahini (though they call it tahina), chicken sh[a]warma and rice,” Professor David Bernstein wrote on X.
“The absurdity of our current reality,” another commentator wrote.
The origins of falafel are apparently an extension of conflict in the Middle East.
“More often than not, arguments about the origins of falafel are refracted through the lens of political rivalries,” History Today reported. “Particularly for the Israelis and the Palestinians, ownership of this most distinctively Levantine dish is inexorably bound up with issues of legitimacy and national identity.”
