COURTYARD MANOR
Assisted Living In A Homelike Setting
Cooking The Diversity Stew
have never met given us the chance to assimilate a
staggering variety of cultures. Some
Dana Cowin,
of it turns up in our food, some in
the editor of
our speech, some in the music that
Food d' Wine
magazine. But she has makes us dance. We are the original
multicultural whiz kids.
become one of my
But we also fall into the trap, and
heroes of journalism.
start defining diversity only in terms
In the July issue of
of certain politically acceptable
her publication, the
GEORGE
minorities and by gender.
lead story was head-
CANTOR
A newspaper on which half the
lined "America's Best
I Reality Check
New Chefs." A group columnists are minorities, for exam-
ple, will pride itself on its diversity.
picture was on the
But if all these columnists are writ-
I cover. There were 10 males (nine
ing from the same political view-
white and one Asian).
Almost predictably, the September point, how diverse can it really be?
Cowin had some cover for her
issue carried an agitated letter to the
editor. The reader was
decision
"shocked" to see all
because she is a
those male faces. "I
woman. I don't
can't believe that no
know that a
white, male
I female made the cut!"
editor would
Cowin responded that
1 this year "we were
have been able
unable to find one who
to make the
met all the ... eligibility
same confident
criteria." So instead of
assertion of
merit.
jiggering with the final
results, they accepted
I do know,
what they found and
however, that
I went unapologetically
when we define
with merit.
diversity as
For a general-interest
meaning only
publication, that is a
skin color or
staggering departure
ethnicity, we rob
1 from what has become
ourselves of the
larger, more
the accepted practice.
challenging
1 In any group shot, it is
I mandatory to include
diversity — that
of opinions that
women and minorities,
1 whether they meet the
may differ from
our own.
stated qualifications or
I not. On most newspa-
It saddens
pers, that is the
me, too, when I
Dana Cowin, the editor of
see Jews buy
absolute stated policy;
Food 6- Wine magazine
and on some, it is
into this mea-
regarded as a more-
ger, circum-
I urgent issue than even
scribed vision.
I If that is the only permitted vision of
1 falling circulation.
diversity, and if it is done — as it
Actually, the chefs on the cover
,
inevitably will be — by the numbers,
I were a pretty varied crew, represent-
there will be very little place for us
! ing several major strains of cuisine.
in the group photographs. Or the
I Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese,
elite college admissions. Or the jobs.
I Mediterranean, American
I don't know if any of the 10 chefs
Southwest. But that isn't nearly good
in the article were Jewish. Given
enough for the diversity overseers.
names and family backgrounds, it
Diversity is a wonderful thing, as
•
sounds like one or two are possibilities
J ews are fully aware. Our experi-
I do know that I ate in the
ences throughout the diaspora have
Chicago restaurant run by one of
George Cantor, a West Bloomfield
them and the food there was out-
resident, is a native Detroiter and
standing. Isn't that supposed to be
longtime Detroit journalist. His e-mail
the point? El
address is gcantor@thejewishnews.com
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'COURTYARD MANOR
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CALIFORNIA CLOSETS'
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10/3
2003
11