On Friday, January 16, I wrote about RockCreek’s “Hip Hop Brunch." I was taken aback by the names of a few menu items, specifically the “NWA” (pancakes with Nutella, walnuts, and crème anglaise) and the “Public Enemy #1” (ham, turkey, Swiss, raspberry jam, and pancakes). As I wrote, “these hiphop names were born out of real political frustration in the black community in the 1980s over things like racial profiling and police brutality—problems that continue today. It's a privilege to be detached enough from these meanings to repurpose them for a brunch menu.”

The goal of the post was to have a discussion about the menu that made me uncomfortable as a diner. The post was not an attack on chef Eric Donnelly or his right to listen to hiphop. I did not call him racist. In fact, I really wanted to know what he was thinking when he wrote this menu, and wrote to him before I published my thoughts so I could include his point of view, but he never wrote back.

After the post was published, Donnelly, who, again, never tried to talk to me, went on a conservative radio show—KIRO’s Jason Rantz Show—and said that I was “really trying to pin [him] as some kind of racist.” He also stated that the brunch at his Fremont restaurant “is actually a celebration of struggle.” He called it "whimsical" and "fun."

Regarding my statement that black youth are being killed for being black, Rantz said Michael Brown “tried to kill Officer Darren Wilson,” implying that (1) Brown got a trial, which he didn't; (2) that Brown tried to kill Wilson, which has not been established since there never was a trial; and (3) that Brown's death was justified.

Donnelly posted a link to the audio clip and text of the radio appearance on his Facebook page.

I don’t doubt that Eric Donnelly is a hiphop fan. As a diner, I like it when chefs incorporate their love for things other than food into their restaurants. The idea of hosting a brunch with a live DJ is creative, and something I'd be interested in as a consumer. But when you send a press release to a member of the media, who then invites you to share your thinking, and, instead of answering her, you go on the radio to say that she is trying to call you a racist... well, that's cowardly, and shows you clearly aren't engaged in the "struggle."

As a food writer, it’s my desire for the restaurant industry (an industry I have worked in and care about—ironically, I have served Eric Donnelly and his family brunch) and the media that cover it to be able to have an open exchange about things, even if we don't agree. It makes for a more inclusive dining scene. My job is not to just reprint a restaurant's press release; it's to provide commentary, ask questions, and listen. I stand by what I wrote, and I stand by Donnelly’s right to have whatever kind of brunch he wants, and to play whatever kind of music he wants. Those things are not mutually exclusive. Mostly, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t have a conversation about it. (I reached out to him again for this follow-up post, but guess what? He hasn't written back.)

I've heard from people who are upset because they think I'm trying to "stir up controversy" over what they say is "just brunch." First, it's not manufacturing controversy when you ask someone to speak with you. But, more importantly, for me (and probably many chefs), it isn't just brunch: Food and drink are a direct reflection of who we are.

One of the drinks on the hiphop brunch menu is RockCreek's version of “Purple Drank,” a highly addictive beverage made by combining prescription-strength cough syrup and soda that was made popular in the late 1990s by producer DJ Screw and Southern rappers like Three 6 Mafia. In 2000, DJ Screw died of a codeine-Promethazine-alcohol overdose related to Purple Drank. In 2013, the drink landed Lil Wayne in the hospital with seizures. RockCreek serves their Purple Drank, made with vodka and berries, in a Styrofoam cup.

I'm not comfortable with what this says about how we view hiphop culture and the struggles of addiction. Is Eric Donnelly? Are you? Feel free to answer.