What the heck is going on with moldy jams, everything being cake, and Goya Foods?
Issue 186: Acting stupid, what's happening? What's happening? I'm a savage.
Hello! Welcome to Nosh Box, a lunchtime-ish food newsletter, that, in the vein of Megan Thee Stallion’s song “Savage” from the subject line, has been thinking about how unbelievably real this TikTok is for many days now.
Read last Thursday’s dispatch: Unpacking Trader Joe's exoticizing alter egos
The last few days have been… a lot. So today in Nosh Box, we’re asking,
What’s the deal with…
…moldy Sqirl jams
Sqirl is a jam company and cafe in Los Angeles that has gained national attention over the past few years; at Eater, Jaya Saxena explains why:
Sqirl is synonymous with a certain cool, aspirational, and white version of LA. It is the epicenter of “clean” comfort food, serving grain bowls with eggs and sorrel, avocado toast, turmeric drinks, and its iconic ricotta jam toast… Much of that enjoyment hinges on [founder Jessica] Koslow’s reputation as an expert jam maker.
Over the weekend, allegations compiled by Joe Rosenthal on Instagram (he put them into a story, which you’ll need an account to view) claim that Sqirl has a massive mold and rodent problem, with rats in food prep spaces and thick layers of mold developing on open buckets of jam — which were allegedly being made in some sort of illegal kitchen they kept hidden from health inspectors. The photos are truly horrifying and I will not include them! You’re welcome! Google it if you dare.
Employees alleged Koslow instructed them to simply remove the mold and use the remaining jam as normal. In an Instagram post in defense, Sqirl likened the practice to the way you can (safely) scrape mold off hard cheeses and charcuterie. This is not true, people!!! Removing mold from hard cheeses is fine, since it typically can’t penetrate the paste* — but this is not the case for soft foods like jams and bread, which is why you should generally toss the whole loaf if one slice is moldy. The mold can go much deeper than you can see.
*Fun cheese fact: Have you ever noticed, in certain blue cheeses like Stilton or Roquefort, that the blue mold is “veined” in fairly straight lines through the cheese? This is because wheels are inoculated with a process called “needling,” where long stainless steel needles are drilled into the wheel to let in oxygen. This facilitates the growth of the mold; more or thicker needling = stronger “blue” flavor; less/thinner needling = a lighter cheese. This also illustrates why unintentional surface molds can typically be cut off safely — without oxygen, they can’t grow much deeper into the wheel. Cool!
Why does this matter?
Besides the obvious food safety hazards (all Sqirl jams, including the ones jarred for retail sales across the country, apparently came from the same kitchen), Koslow was knowingly putting her employees at risk in an unsanitary working environment. And while projecting an air of progressivism on social media, the same level of care was not being shown to employees of color in real life; Sqirl’s expensive aesthetic is also seen as a driver of gentrification in its neighborhood.
At Eater, Saxena continues:
The callout seems to have started after Sqirl posted about donating profits to anti-racism causes. Comments began piling regarding Sqirl’s hand in gentrifying its neighborhood, and the lack of diversity among Sqirl’s staff.
While the jam is certainly the visual shocker, many of the other allegations against Sqirl and Koslow are about presenting an aura of progressiveness while treating employees of color unfairly.
Luckily, you don’t have to buy super expensive jam if you want a nice fruity spread! Make it yourself. And then spread it on some nutty alpine cheese and achieve eternal happiness. Mara Wilson (who you may know as the actress from Matilda) is right, it’s genuinely super easy.
…everything being cake
Last week, Tasty posted a video compilation of several stunningly realistic-looking objects that, upon cutting into them, are revealed to actually be cake. A croc, a roll of toilet paper, a plate of grilled veggies. It’s the Duff Goldman Ace of Cakes conceit taken to the max.
For one, these cakes they rely so heavily on fondant, which is objectively understood to be gross. (Duff himself says so… take that as you will.) And two, the idea that everything is secretly cake provided the perfect fodder for memes. It’s just too good!
Why does this matter?
It truly does not. Which is precisely what makes it so meme-worthy. Which is, in turn, why it matters. It’s all a loop. We’re stuck.
…Goya brand foods
Goya Foods is a family-owned company that makes products that are staples in many Latinx households. It was founded by Spanish immigrants and is now the largest Hispanic-owned company in the U.S., making it often touted as an example of the quote “American dream.”
At an event at the White House last week to announce that Goya was donating millions of pounds to food banks as part of Trump’s Hispanic Prosperity Initiative, Goya CEO Robert Unanue managed to overshadow that by alienating a large swath of his customer base with laudatory comments that “we’re all truly blessed” by Trump, an “incredible builder.”
As Trump and his administration have, for years, been openly hostile to immigrants and Latinx communities in particular, Unanue’s comments clearly didn’t land super well. For some people, it felt like he was abandoning the Latinx community or even communicating support for Trump’s policies. So over the past few days, a boycott movement has gained momentum online.
Unanue (who defended himself on Fox Business) and folks on the right tried to paint this as an example of “cancel culture” or of out-of-control left-wingers trying to silence his free speech, which is, quite frankly, laughable.
Here’s former Housing and Urban Development secretary/presidential candidate Julián Castro:
Why does this matter?
Goya’s adobo, sazón, and other products are important anchors in many people’s childhood and cultural taste memory, making it feel not just like a disappointment but like a betrayal of sacred trust for Unanue to seemingly throw the Latinx community under the bus. Goya isn’t there for them; Unanue’s solidarity is with the wealthy ruling class instead.
Journalist Gustavo Arellano summed it up in a quote to the NYTimes:
To Gustavo Arellano… Mr. Unanue’s comments were consistent with those of a business owner looking for tax breaks, rather than a leader supporting his community.
“To see something that represents nurture and community and family and most importantly the kitchen?" he said. “That’s where it’s a stab in the heart. Or the stomach.”
I’ve also seen some good tweets saying maybe we should instead be paying attention to the other Goya, comma Spanish painter Francisco, known for his spectacularly gruesome “Saturn Devouring His Son.”
