I’ve a confession: I am one in every of many Individuals who love watching The Nice British Baking Present on Netflix. The episode that dropped on Friday tried to go from cookies (“biscuits”) and bread to “Mexican Week,” and also you may guess this is able to be triggering for liberal Individuals who suppose they’re probably the most Mexican-sensitive Individuals.
Over on the web site Decider.com — which tells you what is streaming in your TV — critic Meghan O’Keefe was having a cow beneath the headline:
‘The Nice British Baking Present’ “Mexican Week” is a Catastrophe on So Many Ranges.”
Meghan claimed to be a longtime fan of the present, “however this explicit week — with its offensive stereotypes, befuddled bakers, and layered tres leches muffins — threatened to undo all the nice will the present has amassed through the years.” Oh, the “sins” that had been dedicated! Sins of hubris!
I’m extra interested by how this episode might have occurred within the first place. I don’t suppose the episode’s sins got here from a spot of malice, however fairly pure old school hubris. The Nice British Baking Present “Mexican Week” is what occurs when a quaint present turns into a world hit and finally forgets what made the present so nice within the first place.
She tweeted “It’s cringe and problematic and infuriating to look at? Sure.”
The present was horrifying as a result of “the Brits are woefully ignorant about Mexican tradition.” However she additionally hailed this present as “academic.” So perhaps it might begin a craze about Mexican meals in Britain.
The Nice British Baking Present “Mexican Week” began with a chilly open with hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas carrying poncho blankets and sombrero-esque hats (that weren’t technically sombreros). The made a cringe-worthy joke about how they shouldn’t make Mexican jokes that was in itself form of offensive to Spanish audio system in every single place.
The hosts typically gown stupidly for about 30 seconds in openers for laughs. They’re cringe-worthy on function. Be certain Meghan by no means watches The Three Caballeros cartoon of their sombreros and “snappy serapes.” She’ll faint in outrage.
What was maybe much more appalling was how the bakers themselves collectively comported themselves. Poor candy Carole pronounced pico de gallo as “pico de gallio” and tried to peel the outdoors of an avocado with a paring knife. Tacos had been handled as bewildering alien meals. By and huge, the bakers had zero information of pan dulces and lots of of them flailed accordingly.
As a result of The Nice British Baking Present is meant to be a present the place gifted beginner bakers showcase their expertise, this stage of absolute ignorance was horrifying to look at.
Followers of the present can agree that when you have got a taco problem on a baking present, it feels extra like a cooking present. They will additionally agree {that a} “technical problem” isn’t any place for tacos. However liberals suppose the principally white baking present actually should not strive new issues!
The Brits are nice at many issues: tea time, Shakespearean appearing, colonization, making scones… However the Brits even have their blind spots and Mexican delicacies is certainly one in every of them.
If The Nice British Baking Present can study something from the “Mexican Week” debacle, it must be that it wants to return to its roots and embrace the candy English countryside bakes that made the present so nice. Oh, and to avoid racial stereotypes as jokes.
However Meghan could make “colonization” jokes in regards to the British. That is not “racial.”