Ben & Jerry's 'Lin-Sanity' Ice Cream: Harvard Location Removes Fortune Cookies From Limited-Edition Flavor

The Boston Globe:

Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s has begun selling a limited-release new flavor at its Harvard Square shop in honor of basketball’s sudden sensation, Jeremy Lin, a Harvard University graduate who was an Ivy League star during his time with the Crimson, but left the Cambridge campus undrafted and largely unknown.

Read the whole story: The Boston Globe

Comments

[George Hung]

06:42 PM on 02/26/2012

For people who do not understand the implied racism, let's propose a few more products that focus on a person's heritage:

Joe Lieberman: Fig flavored kosher ice cream: Tagline - Lieberman Putting Hebs First
Obama: Vanilla ice cream with Oreos: Tagline - Obama Oreos are White on the Inside
Berlesconi: Ice cream with Italian Ice: Tagline - Eveyone Wants a Little Italian Inside
Mark Sanchez: Churros flavored ice cream: Tagline - Everyone Loves a Dirty Sanchez

Ben & Jerry's was probably trying to have a little "harmless" fun. Similarly the proposed products and tag lines are touching on a few sensitive topics but isn't that what Ben & Jerry's is doing?

[Elsongs]

05:04 PM on 02/26/2012

As an Asian American myself, I know for a fact that the fortune cookie, like Jeremy Lin himself, was made in the USA by immigrants. Now if they put dog or cat in the ice cream, THEN I would be totally offended.

Of course, Lin's family is from Taiwan and not Cantonese-speaking China. Just put boba balls in the ice cream, there you go.

[Kid Notorious]

04:10 PM on 02/26/2012

I will say this... If some people were offended by an ice cream flavor invented by Ben and Jerry - two of the most socially conscious businessmen on the planet - they need to pick better battles...

[GaryNOVA]

01:53 PM on 02/26/2012

To fix this, Ben and Jerrys have replaced the fortune cookies with horrible driving skills.

[E V]

11:56 AM on 02/26/2012

Don't know why Chinese people would be insulted by fortune cookies they were created BY the Chinese in America as a gimmick for white people. Just like Chop Suey (table scraps) in the 1800's was served to miners as a "delicacy" who came to Chinese restaurants demanding to be served. It became all the rage and made a lot of Chinese families a lot of money.

[gregory57]

09:48 PM on 02/25/2012

I wonder how many Asians actually think that the "fortune cookie" is a cultural insult.

That said: I'd rather see a Kung Pao ice cream. Think; rice pudding with chocolate covered peanuts and schezwan peppercorn bits. and sweet ginger swirled in.

Confidential to B&J, I'm available!

[VT5150]

08:42 PM on 02/25/2012

When did we become a Nation of 3rd Graders?

[TimboJo]

07:17 PM on 02/25/2012

Fortune cookies are racist? Do the Chinese people who serve them at the restaurants know that they contributing to the stero type?

[E V]

11:58 AM on 02/26/2012

They must not, cause we have some here at home and my husband hasn't complained yet.

[peterbeagle]

02:00 PM on 03/10/2012

gotta wonder if anyone asked Lin if he's offended.

[Barbara Darlin]

06:58 PM on 02/25/2012

The world is TOO sensitive. Everything is seen as a slight against race, religion, etc. Not everything is meant as a slam. If he were of French descent and they added a truffle we wouldn't find it offensive. Let's save our moral outrage for the big things.

[gregory57]

06:31 PM on 02/26/2012

Wow, I was just about to say that Jeremy is playing hoops hotter than Sichuan sauce on a Madarin pancake.

[Peter Ohm]

05:44 PM on 02/25/2012

And it isn't racism just ignorance and insensitivity. Do people say Danica Patrick drives like a leprechaun on fire, no because she is American. Do we say Kobe Bryant plays like a Shaka Zulu warrior, no because he was born here. Do you people see what us Asian Americans are seeing?

I mean our President can not even prove that he was born here but nobody uses any African stereotypes.

[peterbeagle]

01:55 PM on 03/10/2012

are you new to this site?

[Peter Ohm]

05:37 PM on 02/25/2012

IF JEREMY WAS BORN IN ASIAN THEN LET THE STEREOTYPES FLOW. BUT LEAVE THE KID ALONE BECAUSE HE WAS BORN HERE AND THAT'S THAT. I mean white non-Americans get less stereotype attacks then Jeremy. Dirk Nowitski, Anna Kournikova, etc...

[TimboJo]

07:15 PM on 02/25/2012

Jeremy Lin does not even care.

[sonomacountylady]

03:24 PM on 02/26/2012

I don't think it would be ok to let the "stereotypes" flow, if he was born outside the U.S. All people should be respected. But, again this is a ice cream flavor with fortune cookie bits, and fortune cookies come with every chinese meal. So, really..this is not an insult.

[Peter Ohm]

05:36 PM on 02/25/2012

JEREMY IS AMERICAN, NOT CHINESE! SO THAT IS WHY US ASIAN AMERICAN SEE THIS AS A MUTE POINT!!!!!!

[TimboJo]

07:15 PM on 02/25/2012

Moot

[AmericanURNOT]

05:16 AM on 02/25/2012

oh great! thanks for removing the fortune cookies! and thanks for adding the pork fried rice flavor to it.

[fastgixxer22]

04:20 AM on 02/25/2012

This politically correct crap is getting out of hand. Like anyone thinks fortune cookies in ice cream named in honor of Jeremy Lin is some overt racist statement! Next we are suppose to ignore the fact that Jeremy Lin is even of Chinese decent. He should be referred to as Jeremy Smith who likes spaghetti.

[SimonBao]

09:14 AM on 02/25/2012

Do you realize that Jeremy Lin was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Palo Alto? And that Jeremy Lin has nothing whatsoever to do with lychees or fortune cookies?

Or, are you soooooooooo obsessed with his racial identity that his racial identity is the only thing you can see?

[fastgixxer22]

07:32 PM on 02/25/2012

WTF are you talking about? Regardless of where he was born or where he grew up, he's a Chinese American. Let me ask you this -- if his race doesn't matter, then why are many other Chinese Americans rallying behind him in a sort of racial unity thing? Perhaps you should be telling them that he's not a Chinese American.

[E V]

12:08 PM on 02/26/2012

Surely, you know that his parents probably consider him Chinese not American. And I'm guessing you also know that despite being born in America his life is probably dominated, or highly influenced, by traditional Chinese culture - even if his parents probably think he is "too Americanized".

[Lauren Knopf]

02:33 AM on 02/25/2012

And how is having the ice cream made with lychee less offensive. Just saying, if that were the reason they could have just made the flavor plain vanilla