Whole Foods stirs up hornets nest by partnering with Yellow Fever restaurant

ASAM NEWS

MANY PEOPLE are shaking their heads in bewilderment after Whole Foods announced it was opening a restaurant at its Long Beach, California location called Yellow Fever, reports Raw Story.

Many Asian/Americans associate yellow fever with the sexualized and passive stereotype of Asian women. White men with a passion for Asian women are often said to have “yellow fever.”

“Yellow fever” is also the name of a tropical disease spread by mosquitoes.

The grocery chain opened the restaurant in partnership with Korean/American chef Kelly Kim who founded the California eatery, reported the Daily News.

"I think it’s been silly, and I think it’s a bit funny that it’s all of a sudden a big deal,” co-founder Kim said to the Daily News.

“Yellow Fever celebrates all things Asian: the food, the culture and the people and our menu reflects that featuring cuisine from Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Hawaii,” said Kim,

Reaction on Twitter has mostly been negative.

Whole Foods, which was recently purchased by Amazon, has so far not commented on the controversy.