Restaurant chain fresh&co is being accused of racism over its new "Miso Lucky Bowl."People on Twitter pointed outthat the "Miso Lucky Bowl" is a reference to "Me so horny," a line that a Vietnamese prostitute told American soldiers in the movie "Full Metal Jacket."According to activists, the line hearkens back to a racist period in history and it continues to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Asian women.After INSIDER reached out to fresh&co for comment, the restaurant chain responded by apologizing and changing the name of the bowl.On Tuesday, people on Twitter criticized the restaurant fresh&co for the name of its new "Miso Lucky Bowl," and accused the chainof racism.The outrage started after Twitter user Martin Hui posted the following tweet:Hey @freshandconyc ' it's 2018 and casual racism isn't cool anymore. Fix this. @reappropriate @8Asians @angryasianman pic.twitter.com/OU2w2B2mZm' Martin Hui (@Martin_Hui) May 15, 2018Several other people deemed the name of the Miso Lucky Bowl racist and said it needs to be changed immediately.'Miso lucky' are you fucking kidding me.' Liz Alper (@LizAlps) May 16, 2018It was never cool. Fix it now & find out who on your #marketing team proposed & greenlit this mess.' Nazi Punks F*ck Off. Ban All Nazis. (@LVshewontstop) May 15, 2018Racists always turn it around and claim victimhood when we point out their discriminatory practice. I am so f'ing tired of it. They need to get a clue especially in NYC. This 'joke' is so dated, it's so 1980s.' Queena (@QueenaKwok) May 16, 2018According to activists, the name is offensive because it references a period in history when Asian women were exploited as sexual commodities.As Asian American feminist blogger Reappropriatepointed out, the Miso Lucky Bowl is a pun on the phrase "me so horny."It's 2018. Could we at least all agree that puns on 'me so horny' for 'Asian things' are racist and lazy, and that for so many reasons they just need to stop'Do better, @freshandconyc. Do better. https://t.co/rqgLg2UTix' Reappropriate (@reappropriate) May 15, 2018This familiar phrase was first popularized in the 1987 film "Full Metal Jacket." In the movie, there is a scene where two white American soldiers are approached by a Vietnamese prostitute who famously says to them, "Me so horny. Me love you long time. Me sucky sucky."Everyday Feminism argues that this scene ' and any reference to this scene ' is problematic because it references an actual period in history when Asian women were colonized and sexually exploited by white American men.Everyday Feminism also points out, thousands of Asian women were enslaved in the aftermath of World War II and forced to provide sex for American troops under the "Recreation and Amusement Association." The US military presence in Asia led to the creation of sex trafficking rings that were specifically designed to serve white soldiers.According to Politico, this practice continued through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, with 85% of American soldiers reporting having sought a prostitute. As a result, some of the first encounters that American soldiers ever had with Asian women was in the context of being sexually serviced by them.People argue that the line "me so horny" is racist because it continues to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Asian women.Korean-American writer Dakota Kim Tweeted thatAsian women such as herselfcontinue to be sexually harassed and racially stereotyped with the line, "Me so horny" and the decades-old history of colonization that it alludes to.This phrase has been said to me on the street by men harassing me. It's been cracked to me as a joke. I've held my head high in life despite this haranguing.' Dakota Kim (@dakotakim1) November 14, 2017The long history of colonization of women's bodies by men like you' And the celebration of that colonization' I'm saying no.' Dakota Kim (@dakotakim1) November 14, 2017Therefore, as Twitter user Jonathan Castanien explains, the "Miso Lucky Bowl" is playing off a joke steeped in racist and imperialist history that "makes Asian Americans feel othered" and that reinforces the stereotype "that Asian women are sex objects."Wow, playing off a joke that makes Asian Americans feel othered, that you don't think we can speak English, and that Asian women are sex objects. On top of trying to profit off the idea of our culture. Whoever came up with this needs to be a little more creative and try harder.' Jonathan Castanien (@anotherjoned) May 16, 2018fresh&co responded with an apology and assurance that it will change the name.On Wednesday, INSIDER contacted a representative from fresh&co and asked them to respond to the allegation that the name of the "Miso Lucky Bowl" is racist because it references a period in history when Asian women were sexually exploited by American soldiers.Less than 30 minutes later, the representative from fresh&co responded saying, "the fresh&co team were not aware of the historical implications and are so thankful that you flagged them. They are a tolerant and progressive company and apologize for any offense they may have caused. They are currently in the process of changing the name company-wide. Rest assured that this will not happen again."fresh&co's response to the accusation of racism is strikingly different from the responses from other restaurants that reference "Me so horny."This is not the first time that a restaurant has come under fire for referencing the line, "Me so horny, me love you long time." ASouth African restaurant owned by two white men named "Misohawni" and an Australian gastropub called "Hotel Longtime" have both faced criticism.However, the owners of "Misohawni" defended the name of their restaurant by saying, "it's just a name. Some people like it, some people won't ' you can't please everybody. There's nothing really much more to say about it. There's no double meaning behind it. It's just a play on words."Similarly, the owner of "Hotel Longtime" also claimed ignorance, saying, "I've never even seen the film. Any such association is in the mind of our critics. It was not in our minds."Sign uphereto get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Why you should never release your pet goldfish into the wild
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