The stereotype of white people and raisins in potato salad

never heard of that in my life

I'm glad you asked cause it's become mainstream. Never in my life have I seen raisins in potato salad. Nor have I seen a particular white person obsession with raisins in food. I like raisins (raisin bagels are my favorite raisins) and it's so unpopular I get side eye. Nobody seems to like raisins showing up where raisins don't belong. Cynthia Nixon got dragged for ordering lox, onion and cream cheese on a raisin bagel. I winced because I get my lox/cream cheese on a raisin bagel and I know it's seen as more than a little off.

It's a humorous way of saying white people are shitty cooks.

Never. And if I were see this mess IRL, it goes into trash.

My mother puts raisins in coleslaw which is disgusting.

But in her defense my great aunts put raisins in cauliflower, which she thought was disgusting so generational trauma…

And I am sure that their great aunts put raisins in meatballs, because that is what our local fancy, artisanal Sicilian restaurant does.

I'm in the northeast and have never heard of this or ever seen this.

What’s worse is using Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise.

Some recipes for Braciole include golden raisins or currants, but I've never actually tried those.

I am a southern boy and have never heard of this abomination. You would be talked about if you pulled this caper, and you're reputation would never recover.

Capers are better than raisins R9

Cynthia Nixon is a bagel moron.

Never once heard of this, OP. I have heard of raisins in Cole slaw, which sounds disgusting.

Raisins in broccoli salad are good. Who would’ve thought that would go together? I put raisins in box stuffing mix.

A deli near my house used to serve raisins and grapes in their chicken salad - it was very good.

Never heard of it.

I’ll put raisins in anything and if they refuse to go I’ll put ‘em on the side. Raisins and maraschino cherries are as close as I ever get to eating sugar in any form or quantity, except maybe apples, and there are times nothing else can hit the spot.

Revolting.

[American] people are so creative!

The only potato salad that touches my lips is Greek potato salad (or something similar): potatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, dill or parsley. No disgusting mayonnaise.

Everyone is fixated on the raisins…why is no one talking about putting white people in potato salad???

Is it because they blend in better?

Prunes not raisins.

Pickle juice can be magic. Dijon mustard or yellow ball park mustard is a valid debate. I like herbs and mayo but I also like oil and vinegar potato salads. Red pepper, celery, olives, scallions-I say yes.

[quote]The only potato salad that touches my lips is Greek potato salad (or something similar): potatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, dill or parsley. No disgusting mayonnaise.

That's the way Italians do it too.

R21 - don't forget german potato salad. potatoes, vinegar, bacon, onion, parsley, a little bit of sugar and salt/pepper.

OP - since no one has ever heard or seen raisins in potato salad, then it's some weirdo.

Golden sultanas or prunes are a staple in potato salad.

No they're not^^^^ it has been decreed.

Things black people obsess about white people doing:

Making potato salad

Washing with a washcloth or not

Washing meat, particularly chicken, before cooking

Macaroni and Cheese, not sure exactly but, yeah

Some of these comcerns are valid. If you’re going to eat calorie filled Mac and cheese, is it any good? Do you exfoliate?

Concerns*

I don't understand the raisin trope. I love raisins and am an outcast for it. Nobody I know puts raisins in potato salad - well, nobody I KNEW - haven't had it in years.

Washcloths. That's another thing. It's not a choice between washclothes and the soap running down your legs. There are scub brushes, loofahs and net shower poufs. Pumice. Etc.

I'm black, and I mostly grew up in the South, where that shit wouldn't fly with white people. The white people in the South could cook their asses off, and if you dare put some raisins in their potato salad, they'd probably shoot you.

Maybe this is an East Coast/New England thing.

Raisins, sultanas and/or currants used sparingly in Sicilian style ricotta Polpette can be delightful, especially to complement a spicy Arrabbiata sauce. Otherwise… they belong in oatmeal cookies and cinnamon raisin bagels only. Certainly, not potato salad.

Raised on midwest cooking and never heard of raisins in potato salad. I've heard of German potato salad, which has a more tart, vinegar flavor to it. But never heard of raisins in potato salad.

What about prunes?

If you use Cool Whip you love raisins in anything.

This is not a thing.

Tell me this is not a thing.

I've never heard of this and potatoes with raisins is just WRONG.

I'm fine with coleslaw and other salads with lettuce (or lettuce-type leaves) having them sprinkled on them, but POTATOES???? The fuck.

What is this, Minnesota?

“Raisins in Potato Salad” came from a joke on SNL.

It’s more of a metaphor for “white people ruin everything”.

White people are the “dads” of pop culture. Once white people find out about something cool, it’s over or ruined.

Example:

I remember when I worked at JCPenney when I was in my early 20’s and an old white lady told me how much she loved “bling” on her clothes.

Now the term bling came from the song “Bling Bling” by the Hot Boyz (Lil’ Wayne’s old group) and became a popular term in hip-hop in the late 90s / early 2000s.

And now old white people know it so it’s officially uncool.

But recent examples of things white people ruined would be wokeness, twerking, and any cool dance trend you could name.

I have never seen raisins in potato salad. And if it's a racist slam against white people for some perceived inability to cook, I must STRONGLY disagree there too. Lots of us "white" people make delicious foods that have been handed down for generation and generations.

Lots of black people create and revel in really bizarre stereotypes of white people, which is fine, but they aren't even a little true! There are plenty of things to giggle at, but the food ones are idiotic.

I mean, as long as we're on the food + race topic, the number of times I've seen black toddlers eating bodega junk food and drinking sugary beverages on the street is enormous.

It’s just a joke. The skit on SNL was funny.

Yeah, pudgy little white kids only eat the good stuff from McDonald's.

[quote] It’s just a joke. The skit on SNL was funny.

That won't stop the overly oppressed eldergays screaming "It's Black people making fun of Whitey!"

R38 White people make weird food.

But whites aren’t monolithic.

I think people usually are referring to generic white Americans who don’t have cultural identities beyond their white suburbia. I guess that’s a culture in itself but very bland. When I think of “white people food”, I think of Boston Market. Or vegan bullshit.

No one is going to turn down a plate made by a white southern grandma or a grandma from the old country on the East Coast.

But no one wants to eat Stephanie’s weird recipes she found on Pinterest.

Not New England. Been here my whole life. Raisins in potato salad. Disgusting. Not to mention in that setting it would look like a bug infestation. Gag.

May MAYBE redeem it with lots of celery. OK OK I’ll stop.

Raisins look like rabbit droppings.

Raisins are a must in curried chicken salad. Ina Garten recipe.

What about chopped dates?

Never heard of raisins in potato salad (in NJ) but have heard of it (and had it) in carrot salad.

I always heard this expression as the raisins in the bowl of rice pudding - which is a very reasonable addition. When I was young and living in Williamsburg in the 1980s, when the neighborhood was 99% dominican and puerto rican, I used to describe myself as the marshmallow in the butterscotch pudding. I think the raisins in the potato salad is a mixed metaphor that got picked up and passed along without considering the sense of nonsense of it.

I've never seen it done and I have lived in the south for 70+ years. Potato salad and raisins, NO. Carrot salad and raisins, oh hell yes.

abomination created by moms with baby tastes?

Where’s Gerg? Has Davida tired of that persona?

And this is the reason raisins are soaked in rum.

I hope not. It’s true lots of older white people make really bland food but I’ve never met anybody who would do this

[quote]R45: Raisins look like rabbit droppings.

When my mom was a little girl, a trio of her teenaged uncles persuaded her to eat some rabbit droppings, claiming they were raisins.

She said they were salty, and tasted like grass.

No relation to the above anecdote, but I myself do not use raisins 𝑖𝑛 anything, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 any reason.

Coleslaw = can have pineapple or raisins in it (don't advise, but it is a regional thing)

Rice pilaf = can have golden raisins or currants in it (Mediterranean chicken places sometimes do this)

Rice pudding or bread pudding - could have raisins or dried fruit in it, or a fresh fruit sauce/topper

Potato salad - NO fruit. Could have eggs, bacon, diced ham, olives, peppers, even carrot in it, but not raisins

Hawaiian macaroni salad - could have eggs, olives, even tuna in it, or mashed or chunks of cooked potatoes and a boat load of mayo

Carrot salad - NEEDS raisins.

I don't like olives in potato salad either.

Whenever some Philistine uses raisins for some recipe, I substitute chopped, sometimes soaked, apricots.

I've never encountered this ever and I'm white

Maybe this is a North versus South thing more than anything. Because southern white grandmas can cook.

But, if there is a difference between the races and how they cook, I would say that white people tend to be more adventurous in their cooking. Black people tend to stick to the classics.

I don't like how dried fruits (including raisins) get rehydrated (waterlogged) in certain dishes, losing their chewy texture. The nice thing about dried fruits is the chewiness.

My older sister is fat and white and cookbooks are her porn. She admits she never perfects a recipe over time the way our grandmothers did - she's always trying something new. And yes, like porn. For months she went on about "better than sex" cake. Apparently in the end it was a disappointment.

this is something black people say when they are being petty...which is very often.

Raisins be black. Ironic.

Sultanas be royal. Ironic.

Never heard of it in my life, but it sounds like a surefire way to get booted from Germany and the Netherlands. (We strongly disagree about the mayonnaise issue, but we're certainly united on this.)

[quote] this is something black people say when they are being petty...which is very often.

And people of other races are not petty.

It's always a matter of the conflict between a sense of born entitlement and a sense of inferiority being proud against the man.

Neither helps, except when parodied and exposed.

But often there's something observant in the stereotypes chosen.

As for me, a white-presenting (because I'm two generations from appearing blackish, although my brown hair kinks) biracial member of a family who passed, I do not want to have potato in any recipe with an incorporated sweet. Maybe applesauce if it stays on its side of the plate. I like fruit in a lot of savory recipes, the best corned beef recipe I ever had prunes accompanying a grilling, and I like the cuisines (North African, Turkish, Spanish, various Indian) that incorporate dried fruits and berries into savories.

I saw a recipe for mashed potatoes and raisins. Now, really.

Raisins in potato salad is anathema.

Oh my, raisins in mashed potatoes? Who did that, r68? Vile.

The worst my white parents ever did to their black grandchildren was hide a few carrots or peas under the mashed potatoes, which they also did with us.

But when they started mixing carrot and turnip with potatoes on Shepherd's pie, we all loved it.

Never heard of it but I’d try it.

Needs butter r71. And diced peppers.

R70. Funny. How treacherous - carrot under mashed potatoes! I used to pick the lima beans out of the Campbell's soup bowl ("Vegetable") in front of me and hide them under the bowl. Always a brilliant child.

Google sources. I think there are many white and other people who have not grown up in a house where the kitchen was used much, or the parents' food choices encouraged selective, unbalanced, niche/trend items. Plus snacks. And their restaurant, neighborhood, relatives and friends are part of the same suburban culture. So people have no cookery grounding, and their food preparation experiences are more driven by online "hacks" (or whatever the current expression is) by people like them, or "discoveries." Not just quick tips.

"Anyway. If you understand basic techniques, nutrition, fundamentals of American cookery Iincluding regional), and some non-fast-food international cuisines, you take your sense of adventure anywhere. And nothing against microwaves and other tools. Just talking about feeding oneself and others real food with an eye on not going too far with what killed your grandfather, apart from booze, cigarettes, and lack of exercise.

IMO the only vegetable that should ever be mixed with mashed potatoes is green peas. Our school cafeteria would always serve mashed potatoes with a scoop of greet peas cradled into the mash. The lady dishing up the food would use the back of the big spoon in the mashed potatoes to make a ditch in them and then scoop in the peas. I learned to love mashed potatoes that way.

My mother in-law put raisins in the chopped meat in stuffed peppers. And she made stuffed peppers because she heard I liked them. So I had to eat them. That’s the only time I’ve seen unwarranted raisins in white people food. I don’t know where black people get this potato salad raisin thing.

They also complain that white peoples food is “unseasoned.” You know what “seasoned” means to them? Salt and hot sauce. African American food is not known for its use of spices/seasonings.

[quote]OP: Does this really happen? I have never, ever seen, eaten or been served raisins in potato salad. Is this a thing outside the Northeast in the Midwest or the South? Did some dumb blonde think it was good?

No one's ever heard of it. It seems to be some kind of troll roll-out across the past year or so. If you google 'raisins in potato salad,' you'll see that, out of thin air, it's been asked of Quora, Reddit, and other social media forums, apropos nothing. And then in these venues it's suggested that it's something black people say about whites. (Here, that got folded into the discussion batter gradually, taking close to 40 posts before it was directly stated.)

It's an outrageous suggestion, something nobody does, an effort to sow a sort of low-level outrage or division, creating a space in which posters feel it's appropriate to make somewhat offensive racial generalizations, like the one in R75 - "I don’t know where black people get this potato salad raisin thing... They also complain that white peoples food is “unseasoned.” You know what “seasoned” means to them? Salt and hot sauce. African American food is not known for its use of spices/seasonings."

Shit-stirring.

[quote] My mother in-law put raisins in the chopped meat in stuffed peppers. And she made stuffed peppers because she heard I liked them. So I had to eat them. That’s the only time I’ve seen unwarranted raisins in white people food. I don’t know where black people get this potato salad raisin thing.

R75, so do I. The raisins add a lovely sweetness to the affair.

I do not, however, stuff bell peppers.

I stuff Italian frying peppers, called Cubanelles—a sweet and slightly spicy pepper that is a staple of Italian cuisine. They are superior to bell peppers.

There was an SNL skit, Black Jeopardy, and one of the questions was do you invite a white person to the cookout who puts raisins in potato salad. The answer was no.

It’s not a stereotype when literally nobody has ever heard of it.

R76, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is the house spice for many AA families.

RIP Chadwick.