Montreal-Philippines cutlery controversy
Encyclopedia
The Montreal-Philippines cutlery controversy was an incident in 2006 in which a seven-year-old Canadian boy from a Filipino
family was punished by his school in Roxboro
, Montreal
for using his cutlery
according to traditional Filipino etiquette. In response to the media coverage of the affair, a protest was held outside the Canadian
embassy in Manila
and Jose Brillantes, the Philippines
Ambassador to Canada, described it as an "affront to Filipino culture."Some commentators saw it as an example of prejudice
and a culture clash, especially since the school board had previously expelled a Sikh
student for carrying a kirpan
.
gish" eating habits: using a fork
to push his food onto a spoon
before eating it. The school board countered that the boy was punished only for disruptive behavior. The boy's mother pursued a formal apology, reporting that, in a telephone conversation with school principal Normand Bergeron, he had told her "Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat."
The story first appeared in the West Island Chronicle. According to the Montreal-area newspaper, "When (the boy's mother) questioned Bergeron about punishing students for their table habits, she says he replied that, 'If your son eats like a pig he has to go to another table because this is the way we do it and how we’re going to do it every time.'"
In a Chronicle article, Bergeron expanded on his comments. He claimed that the boy is sometimes disruptive, and that was the reason for his being punished, not his fork and spoon habits.
“[In my conversation with (the mother)] I said, ‘Here, this is not the manner in which we eat.’
“I don’t necessarily want students to eat with one hand or with only one instrument, I want them to eat intelligently at the table ... I want them to eat correctly with respect for others who are eating with them. That’s all I ask. Personally, I don’t have any problems with it, but it is not the way you see people eat every day. I have never seen somebody eat with a spoon and a fork at the same time.”
Later reporting alleged that the boy was warned that he was tardy at the table, and so he reverted to the spoon-feeding method to save time. The boy said that he was separated from his lunchmates any time he ate that way.
Bergeron was subsequently restrained from speaking on the issue by the school board; spokesperson Brigitte Gavreau stated that board policy is that students can eat with any utensils.
A score of protestors outside the Canadian Embassy in Manila
appealed for "respect for cultural diversity
" and affirmed "we eat with a spoon and we're proud." The item was quickly picked up worldwide, especially in Filipino newspapers and websites.
A security guard
was assigned to the primary school, a police cruiser went on duty, and the school principal received a death threat. Fo Niemi, the boy's family's lawyer and the executive director for the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations
(CRARR), had to actively discourage people from the Filipino community from protesting in front of the school board.
France Pilon, the assistant director of the school board, said that the boy's parents were repeatedly invited to meet with school officials, but declined, reportedly on legal advice. Pilon also said that the boy's parents have instructed him to eat apart from other students.
The case was brought to the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal for formal mediation. Should mediation fail, a formal inquiry will be held. In the meantime, the boy was transferred to a different elementary school.
by stuffing a large amount of rice
into his mouth, and that the reprimand was for his own safety. Additionally, however, the commission pointed out that it was discriminatory for the lunchroom supervisor to have asked the boy if people in "his country" washed their hands
before eating.
In November 2008 it was reported that CRARR had asked the Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission to review its decision, alleging anomalies in process that possibly prejudiced the commission's decision. The principal's newspaper comments were allegedly ignored. The boy's mother said that the human rights commission had interviewed representatives from the school board, but not the family. The boy's mother was reportedly considering an appeal
to the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body, while members of the area Filipino community wanted to take the case to court.
In April 2010 the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal mandated that the school reimburse the Cagadocs CDN $17,000 in moral and punitive damages. The Tribunal stated that the school principal shared blame for not implementing an intercultural education policy.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
family was punished by his school in Roxboro
Roxboro, Quebec
Roxboro was a city on the Island of Montreal. It ceased to exist on January 1, 2002. The city was located along the Rivière des Prairies near the western end of the island. Its population, at that time, was 6,000.- History :...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
for using his cutlery
Cutlery
Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
according to traditional Filipino etiquette. In response to the media coverage of the affair, a protest was held outside the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
embassy in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
and Jose Brillantes, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Ambassador to Canada, described it as an "affront to Filipino culture."Some commentators saw it as an example of prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
and a culture clash, especially since the school board had previously expelled a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
student for carrying a kirpan
Kirpan
The kirpan is a ceremonial sword or dagger carried by orthodox Sikhs. It is a religious commandment given by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in CE 1699, all baptised Sikhs must wear a kirpan at all times....
.
Timeline
In April 2006, the boy was punished on ten separate occasions by the school lunchroom monitor at École Lalande for "disgusting" and "pigPig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
gish" eating habits: using a fork
Fork
As a piece of cutlery or kitchenware, a fork is a tool consisting of a handle with several narrow tines on one end. The fork, as an eating utensil, has been a feature primarily of the West, whereas in East Asia chopsticks have been more prevalent...
to push his food onto a spoon
Spoon
A spoon is a utensil consisting of a small shallow bowl, oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery , especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for serving. Spoons are also used in food preparation to measure, mix, stir and toss ingredients...
before eating it. The school board countered that the boy was punished only for disruptive behavior. The boy's mother pursued a formal apology, reporting that, in a telephone conversation with school principal Normand Bergeron, he had told her "Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat."
The story first appeared in the West Island Chronicle. According to the Montreal-area newspaper, "When (the boy's mother) questioned Bergeron about punishing students for their table habits, she says he replied that, 'If your son eats like a pig he has to go to another table because this is the way we do it and how we’re going to do it every time.'"
In a Chronicle article, Bergeron expanded on his comments. He claimed that the boy is sometimes disruptive, and that was the reason for his being punished, not his fork and spoon habits.
“[In my conversation with (the mother)] I said, ‘Here, this is not the manner in which we eat.’
“I don’t necessarily want students to eat with one hand or with only one instrument, I want them to eat intelligently at the table ... I want them to eat correctly with respect for others who are eating with them. That’s all I ask. Personally, I don’t have any problems with it, but it is not the way you see people eat every day. I have never seen somebody eat with a spoon and a fork at the same time.”
Later reporting alleged that the boy was warned that he was tardy at the table, and so he reverted to the spoon-feeding method to save time. The boy said that he was separated from his lunchmates any time he ate that way.
Bergeron was subsequently restrained from speaking on the issue by the school board; spokesperson Brigitte Gavreau stated that board policy is that students can eat with any utensils.
A score of protestors outside the Canadian Embassy in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
appealed for "respect for cultural diversity
Cultural diversity
Cultural diversity is having different cultures respect each other's differences. It could also mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole...
" and affirmed "we eat with a spoon and we're proud." The item was quickly picked up worldwide, especially in Filipino newspapers and websites.
A security guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
was assigned to the primary school, a police cruiser went on duty, and the school principal received a death threat. Fo Niemi, the boy's family's lawyer and the executive director for the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations
Center for Research-Action on Race Relations
The Center for Research-Action on Race Relations is a Canadian, non-profit civil rights organization committed to promoting racial harmony and equality. The organization functions as a service for victims of discrimination through activities involving advocacy, research and legal representation...
(CRARR), had to actively discourage people from the Filipino community from protesting in front of the school board.
France Pilon, the assistant director of the school board, said that the boy's parents were repeatedly invited to meet with school officials, but declined, reportedly on legal advice. Pilon also said that the boy's parents have instructed him to eat apart from other students.
The case was brought to the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal for formal mediation. Should mediation fail, a formal inquiry will be held. In the meantime, the boy was transferred to a different elementary school.
Commission ruling
In 2008 the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission ruled that the lunchroom supervisor's reprimand was an isolated incident, and found no evidence that the school principal was biased. It found that the boy was disciplined for unsafe eating behavior, not for his cutlery etiquette. The commission concluded that the boy was clowning aroundPlay (activity)
Play is a term employed in ethology and psychology to describe to a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment...
by stuffing a large amount of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
into his mouth, and that the reprimand was for his own safety. Additionally, however, the commission pointed out that it was discriminatory for the lunchroom supervisor to have asked the boy if people in "his country" washed their hands
Hand washing
Hand washing for hand hygiene is the act of cleaning the hands with or without the use of water or another liquid, or with the use of soap, for the purpose of removing soil, dirt, and/or microorganisms....
before eating.
In November 2008 it was reported that CRARR had asked the Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission to review its decision, alleging anomalies in process that possibly prejudiced the commission's decision. The principal's newspaper comments were allegedly ignored. The boy's mother said that the human rights commission had interviewed representatives from the school board, but not the family. The boy's mother was reportedly considering an appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
to the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body, while members of the area Filipino community wanted to take the case to court.
In April 2010 the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal mandated that the school reimburse the Cagadocs CDN $17,000 in moral and punitive damages. The Tribunal stated that the school principal shared blame for not implementing an intercultural education policy.
See also
- Table mannersTable mannersTable manners are the rules of etiquette used while eating, which may also include the appropriate use of utensils. Different cultures observe different rules for table manners...
- Etiquette in North America
- Etiquette in AsiaEtiquette in AsiaAs expectations regarding good manners differ from person to person and vary according to each situation, no treatise on the rules of etiquette nor any list of faux pas can ever be complete. As the perception of behaviors and actions vary, intercultural competence is essential...
- Culture of the PhilippinesCulture of the PhilippinesPhilippine culture is related to Micronesian, Bornean, Mexican and Spanish cultures. The people today are mostly of Malayo-Polynesian origin, although there are people with Spanish, Mexican, Austro-Melanesian and Chinese blood. Geographically, the Philippines is considered part of Southeast Asia...
External links
- "School won't apologize in Filipino fork dispute". Canadian Broadcasting CorporationCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. - "Montreal boy's silverware choice sparks protest in Philippines." Canadian Broadcasting CorporationCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. - "Board seeks mediation in food fight." 13 June 2006 . Montreal Gazette.
- "Incident might have been a mistake." Montreal Gazette. 8 May 2006.
- " Filipino boy gets support in lunch flap" Montreal Gazette. 6 May 2006.
- "Boy who ate in traditional Filipino way going to human rights group". Montreal Gazette. 5 May 2005.
- "Food fight spreads abroad" Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
. 6 May 2006. - "Filipino table etiquette punished at local school" Montreal West Island Chronicle (via archive.org). 19 April 2006
- "Filipino mom to ask for public apology." Montreal West Island Chronicle (via archive.org). 26 April 2006.