How do we misuse the word 'ethnic'

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Q. Can foods be 'ethnic', asks janelh
A. In a word, no. It's a lazy - and incorrect - way that supermarkets (in the case of this question) denote 'non-British' foodstuffs. What they mean is 'food items used by people from ethnic minorities, in that they are ethnic minorities in the UK'. A bit of a mouthful, admittedly - no pun intended - but that is the sense of it.

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Q. Does spaghetti end up in the ethnic foods section It's not British after all, is it
A. No it doesn't and no it isn't, although many would consider 'bolognaise' of one form or another to be standard British fare these days. Although curry sauces and Indian-style pickles do, and many people eat curry at least once a week. So the thinking here is woolly.

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Q. When does something become British, then
A. That's hard to say. If one were to eat only truly indigenous foods, it would be a pretty limited diet, involving wild grasses, a few berries and meat or fish. Everyday 'British' foods such as potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, even the humble swede (or turnip, depending on where you come from) were all introduced within the last 400 years. Apples, pears, cows, rabbits, lettuce, onions, parsley are all 'foreign' in origin. Who knows, Traditional Chilli Dishes of the Yorkshire Dales may be a best-seller in a couple of centuries.

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Q. What exactly does ethnic mean, then
A. Derived from the ancient Greek ethnikos, meaning 'national', it literally means belonging to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic or cultural origin or background. So we all have 'ethnicity', whether it be English, Yoruba or Basque. Everyone has an ethic make-up - usually pretty mixed, despite what some might say.

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Q. So, in short
A. When you hear someone refer to 'ethnics' as a blanket term for anyone not of the majority, then they are using the wrong word, as the speaker too is 'ethnic'. If someone suggests that 'ethnic minorities' are only non-whites, they are only right in the sense that caucasians as a broad group are the majority in the UK, even though someone of Polish ancestry, for example, is as much in a minority ethnically as someone from Ethiopia.

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By Simon Smith