A photo of a sign in a Yale University dining hall went viral on social media this week after the word “Israel” was removed from a popular salad dish, prompting a swift response from the school.
Yale sophomore editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief of The Yale Free Press Sahar Tartak first reported the change in a post Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “At Yale, ‘the popular Israeli couscous salad with spinach and tomatoes, which is years old,’ has been renamed in our dining hall as the same dish but without the word ‘Israel’.”
After another student shared a photo the next day showing a dining hall label for a salad offering that contained the word “Israel,” Tartak inserted his own photo and said, “Here’s a before/after, so no one is fooled. The change was made, then reversed after attention from Jewish students. The restaurant administrator emailed me: ‘Since it is a key ingredient, it is appropriate to remain in the title, and we will correct this mistake.’”
A couscous salad dish at Yale University generated controversy this week. Getty Images
A closer look at the X image shows the meal card label has a date in the lower left corner.
The first image from Tartark is labeled “Israeli Couscous Salad” with the date “Lunch, 11/1/23” while the second image with “Israel” missing is dated “Lunch, 12/11/23.”
Photo of another student with “Israel” written on a food label dated “Dinner, 12/11/23.”
Yale Hospitality sent their response to the students’ concerns, which appear to match what Tartak reported, to Fox News Digital, intended to provide context on the process of reviewing and planning the new menu, which they said began in July.
“Food authenticity and recipe naming have been concerns brought to us by students in the past,” the message said. “There are times when they feel our food is not ‘original’ representing the country or ethnicity referred to in the name. For that, our team decided to remove the name of the country and ethnicity from the recipe.”
Here’s the before/after, so no one is fooled. The change was made, then reversed after attention from Jewish students. The administrator of the eatery sent me this email: “Since it is a key ingredient, it is appropriate to remain in the title, and we will correct this error.” https://t.co/ZInORL7XJC pic.twitter.com/oqWdn6bpZq
— Sahar Tartak?? (@sahar_tartak) December 12, 2023
“However, you have raised a point that deserves further consideration,” the message to the student continued. “In this case, Israeli Couscous is indeed a real ingredient and is clearly listed in the ingredient list. Since it’s a key ingredient, it makes sense to stay within the title, and we’ll fix this mistake.”
Israeli couscous differs in size, texture and production method when compared to regular couscous.
The message says that Yale Hospitality is committed to the “principles of diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging.”
Yale told Fox News, “The menu item changed this semester as part of an ongoing process that began in July. It has been changed back as noted above.”
Yale said it has changed back menu items following the oversight. Getty Images
In October, Tartak wrote a pro-Israel column in the Yale Daily News that was hit with an editor’s note two weeks after publication, reading, “This column has been edited to remove baseless claims that Hamas rapes women and beheads men.”
After an outcry, the editor’s note was retracted with an acknowledgment that rape and beheading had been previously confirmed.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
