Readers of this blog are probably well aware by now of the recently passed legislation in Arizona banning the teaching of ethnic studies in any public schools in the state.  As my colleague, Evelyn Nakano Glenn, notes in her excellent recent blog post, “the rationale for this gross intrusion by the legislature into school curricula is that ethnic studies courses promote ‘ethnic chauvinism,’ and racial resentment of whites.”

Now that this bill has passed—frightening both in its ignorance of what the field of ethnic studies actually is and what it says about the priorities and perspectives of our current state legislative leadership—imagine for a moment that Arizona (or some other state) would next ban ethnic food, ethnic music, ethnic art, and ethnic dance.  Inconceivable, of course! The citizens of Arizona would rise up against the government’s intrusion into their private affairs.  How dare the state tell them what they can and cannot eat – from Chinese pot stickers to Spanish paella, from Russian borscht to sushi to kimchee!  Indeed, if we give it some thought, what is ethnic food, but every other kind of food in the world besides meat and potatoes?  Now, that is real food!  But tacos?  Sauerkraut? You get the picture.  If we go out tonight for ethnic food, we all know what THAT means.  Good Indian restaurants abound in England, and somewhat less in New York, a direct consequence of the concentration of those relevant populations.  That is why the best Chinese food is in San Francisco, not in Arizona.  And that is why the best Mexican food is in Arizona, not New York or London. (But I digress.)

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