White Autistics, please discuss your sensory aversions to our foods respectfully

 

By Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne Australia

I come from a multicultural family and I love all kinds of foods, but this is not the case for all Autistics. Some Autistics have strong sensitivities to the texture, taste or smell of certain foods and cannot eat them. They often self advocate for accommodations for their sensory sensitivities, or make special arrangments, to access food they can tolerate, when they go out to restaurants or travel overseas.

As much as we need to respect the Autistic minority's sensory needs, Autistics with food sensitivities need to respect the sensitivities of migrants and second generation Australians from non-Anglo backgrounds, by not pulling faces or making expressions of disgust about our multicultural Melbourne restaurant food or the foods on sale in our countries of origin. 

I once attended an Autistics only event, held in a pub because this food was deemed safer for those with food sensitivities, and a small number of indivduals made some pukey faces and noises about the kind of food available in multicultural Melbourne restaurants or overseas. Even though I have a darker skin and a Middle Eastern sounding name, they didn't wake up to the fact that they might have offended me by making these inferences about our ethnic foods. They just talked as if all Autistics automatically share these tastes. At the time, I ignored the behaviour. I realised that they weren't intending to insult anyone but it was still triggering. Now that there is more emphasis on CALD Autistics (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse), it is important to discuss this issue.

Why might CALD Autistics, such as myself, feel triggered by white Australian Autistics openly expressing disgust at our ethnic restaurant food or the food on sale in our countries of origin? I migrated to Australia during the White Australia Policy era. In those days, many white Australians were openly racist towards non-Anglo migrants, including Mediterraneans, and attacked our looks, customs, intelligence and foods. Foods made with capsicums, pasta, olive oil, garlic or herbs might seems mainstream now, but back then they were often called "wog food" and the taste, smell and cleanliness of our foods was regularly and openly ridiculed. In those days, there were no anti-discrimination laws and migrants were openly harrassed about the type of food they cooked or packed in their lunch boxes. 

In my CALD Autism research advisory work, I have heard about migrant parents of Autistic children hesitating to send their kids to school with traditional food in their lunch boxes, that their Autistic kids love, because there are still bad attitudes, in Australia, towards their cooking. This is quite sad, and we don't need to be reminded about these attitudes through the careless behaviour of a small number of Autistics who have sensory issues with some of our foods.

I would like to ask those Autistics with food sensitivities, who stuff their suitcases with tubes of cheddar cheese and Vegemite when they travel overseas - what do you suppose that Autistics, who live in the countries that you visit, actually eat? Autistics living overseas must be eating something. Why don't white Australian Autistics, who travel overseas, or get invited to ethnic restaurants, try to find out what these "safe" ethnic foods are, so they can try eating them and having an intercultural experience?

I would like to point out that pub foods might suit white Australian Autistics with food sensitivities, but pubs don't suit everyone. Many migrants, especially Muslims, or people who wear traditional dress, do not feel comfortable in pubs and get stared at in white dominated places. Their 'safe' food, that they grew up, with might not be available in pubs. To make the Autistic community more accessible to different cultures, at least some face to face Autistic get togethers should be held in non-licensed premises. 

Yes, Autistics should feel safe to discuss their food sensitivities in Autistic spaces, but Autistic spaces also need to be welcoming of CALD Autistics. Australian Autistics need to be aware that the Autistic community is no longer a white monoculture; more CALD people are being diagnosed and ethnic foods are part of CALD Autistic culture and identity. 

So how can white Autistics discuss their food sensitivities respectfully? White Autistics need to take ownership of their food sensitivities by saying they can't enjoy many ethnic foods because of their own sensory needs, rather than making pukey faces and saying they hate our food because there is something disgusting about it. Saying that there is something bad about our food is triggering in an era when there are neo-Nazis and white Australia fanatics protesting in the streets, who want to deport our immigrants.