When Tunde Wey launched his pop-up lunch counter in New Orleans, he wanted to do more than cook food from his home country. He named it , after , a South African woman put on display in 1800s Europe.
The regular price of a meal at the pop-up, launched last month, was $US12. The catch? Wey suggested that people who identified as white pay $30, more than twice as much, to reflect the racial income disparity in New Orleans. They still had the option to pay $12 if they wanted. In the state, the median income among African American households is around $25,806 compared to $64,377 for white households, .
During a phone call with SBS Food, Wey recalls customer's reactions. “For the white folks, they had to take a moment, they had to think about it to understand. Folks of colour, they understood instantly, they laughed at it.”
“People were cordial. Seventy-eight per cent of the white folks decided to pay the $30 and even those who decided not to pay the $30, most of them wanted to do something, like pay a bit more than $12. Some said they didn’t have enough money on them, but agreed with the principles.”
Wey says he was surprised that so many people paid more more. A student interviewed some of the customers after the experience to better understand their choice. Some said they agreed to pay more because the idea made sense, some because they felt guilty and others because of social pressure.
More women (91 per cent) than men (55 per cent) choose to pay $30.
In Melbourne, . They suggest men pay a 15 per cent (initially 18 per cent) surcharge to highlight gender-wage disparity, the extra money going to charities.
A taste of Nigerian food
Serving Nigerian food at the pop up was a no-brainer for Wey, who used to live in Lagos before moving to the United States at 16. “I grew up eating Nigerian food, I don’t know how to cook anything else,” he explains. “For the pop-up, I made everything vegetarian because I wanted everybody to be able to eat the food.”
Nigerian cuisine being quite varied, Wey had plenty of flavourful and spicy dishes to choose from for his lunch boxes. Think (made with tomato and pepper), àmàlà (a paste made from yam, cassava or plantain flour), gbegiri (a honey bean stew), asaro (yam pottage), fried plantains, collard chips, and other colourful vegetables like roasted yellow beets and sweet peppers.
A meal with a side of social justice
It’s not the first time that Wey has mixed food and politics. In 2016, where he gathered people to discuss topics such as race, wealth and anti-immigration sentiment in America.
“I think that we have limited what food can be and food has turned into this very trendy thing. Food and dining spaces have been weaponised in the development of communities. They’re used to drive certain socio-economic categories of people into an area and other people out,” he says.
Not just about America
Wey might be based in the United States, he insists that the issues he addresses go much further: “It’s not only a story about America, it’s also a story about Australia. This is about discrimination and prejudice. It’s everywhere.”
“I don’t want people to look at my work and say ‘Americans are racist’. I want people to redirect their gaze inwards and ask: ‘In my life, how am I creating inequality or equality?’”
Apart from being conscious of the provenance of our food, he says it’s important to empower people who need it the most, by favouring minority-owned restaurants.
“We do make decisions every day that add to the general problem or the solution,” he concludes.
His next project is a where the cost, menu and experience are tailored to your privilege.
