English food isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, especially our lunch box items. Think bland sandwiches, square cheeses, sliced meats and a fruit cup – if you’re lucky.
Which is why people in China have started a new trend, trying and making fun of ‘white people food’.
People have shared screenshots of items you might find in a school or office lunch box such as ham slices, spinach and boiled eggs, fruits in containers, and other ‘tasteless food’.
In China, where TikTok is banned, people have been using social media platforms Weibo and Xiaohongshu to share their (rather harsh) thoughts.
Some have said these items are devoid of flavour and seasoning, which are vital to Chinese cuisine, which tends to have more ingredients.
One blogger called it a ‘lunch of suffering’, after trying some string beans and a tomato, saying: ‘It’s so lawless and outrageous’.
Another creator dived in deeper to share her thoughts on why the trend is taking over, and also why she thinks such staples are commonplace in European countries.
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TikTok user @li2dog said báirén fàn, translated as ‘white people food’, can be explained in three parts. First, there is ‘zero feeling to your food’ because the office lunch is not about enjoyment, it’s about getting some nourishment and going about your work day quickly.
Secondly, it should require little preparation, as work lunches are often timed. ‘Eat it raw, eat it as a whole piece,’ she added.
Lastly, these foods are eaten at work or school, meaning food you actually enjoy is consumed later: ‘The idea is when you get off work, you go back to eat your normal food and you feel the life back.’
Another person agreed with the theory, saying the lunches are ‘not for enjoyment, but to find guilt. In this way, I can always remind myself that I am here to work.’
Since the trend has gone viral, people have taken to Twitter to share how the office lunch is all about efficiency and convenience.
One person wrote: ‘White people food is the culinary extension of the Protestant work ethic’.
Meanwhile, another wrote: ‘It’s brilliant really. The simple ham sandwich turned out to be the Perfect Capitalist fuel for the diligent worker. Peak efficiency.’
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