Thai social media users took to multiple online platforms this week to express their displeasure over a New York Times article about fruit.
The article, written by New York Times Southeast Asia Bureau Chief Hannah Beech, detailed the arduous task of peeling and preparing indigenous fruits for consumption.
The article, titled “Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward,” promises substantial juicy rewards once the herculean tasks were completed.
Thai citizens however were angered over the orientalist nature of the article with some going so far as to call the article racist.
“I cannot believe that the great New York Times would be so crass about our culture,” said Somchai Namsakul.
When asked if he had read any other article in the Times recently about the region, Somchai shrugged and said he had run out of free articles.
“This is pure racism, that is it plain and simple,” said Somporn Namsakul. Somporn told Thai Enquirer that she did not read ‘fake news’ so had not been following the Times coverage on the plight of the Rohingya refugees ignored by Thai authorities, the disappearance of dissidents in Thailand or the rigging of elections in the last Thai elections.
“Who has time to read all that news?” she asked.