S.F. ice cream shop contested an Asian American-owned competitor. Now, it’s facing accusations of cultural appropriation

Garden Creamery is being flooded with negative reviews due to its role in a viral story about a matcha-themed ice cream shop that never was

In recent days, Jason Yu’s experience of spending $200,000 futilely trying to open a matcha-themed ice cream shop in the Mission District sparked anger and compassion over his plight. Now the neighboring ice cream shop that contested Yu’s permit for the store is facing a backlash.

The target of the outrage is Garden Creamery. A flood of now deleted reviews has prompted Yelp to temporarily disable comments on its page. On Twitter, some have called for a boycott and accused Garden Creamery of cultural appropriation. Garden Creamery specializes in Asian flavors like like Thai tea, black sesame and coconut pandan. The public face of Garden Creamery, Erin Lang, is white.

“The ice cream is fine. I’m more upset that this store sells Asian flavors but filed an official complaint to the city to stop an Asian proprietor from opening an ice cream shop down the road,” wrote former San Francisco resident Kane Hsieh in a now-hidden Yelp review. On Twitter, someone else wrote that Garden Creamery’s complaint was “anti-competitive to its core, and I will refuse to support that business.”

Lang said the comments have taken an emotional toll; she’s been facing harassment on social media for about a year because of Garden Creamery’s 2020 complaint against Yu’s Matcha n’ More. She also argued that the cultural appropriation accusations are misleading because she’s from Hawaii, where Asian flavors are part of the culture.

“I have family and friends who are Asian and I have a deep respect for Asian culture. Our customers are a melting pot of diversity,” Lang said, adding that many Asian customers bring her ingredients for flavors they want Garden Creamery to create. “To see that being used against us is very hurtful.”

The fallout follows a Chronicle story last week on Yu, who has completely given up on his ice cream plans. Lang started Garden Creamery, which operates at 3566 20th St., about 150 feet from the proposed matcha-themed shop, in 2013 as a food truck to near-instant acclaim, opening the Mission scoop shop four years later.

Hsieh, who said he frequently walked through the Mission when he lived in nearby Noe Valley last year, found the whole Matcha n’ More ordeal frustrating: Why was it so hard for a business to open in a long-empty storefront? He likes Garden Creamery’s ice cream but said the owners’ complaint seemed to go against the way they portray the shop as a wholesome, feel-good community spot.

“It almost feels extra insidious because of that facade,” said Hsieh, who also spoke out on Twitter.

SOURCE:

sfchronicle   https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/S-F-ice-cream-shop-contested-an-Asian-owned-16133128.php