Grocery store changing name of 'gentleman's' sandwich after complaints of sexism
A sandwich called the Gentleman’s Smoked Chicken Caesar Roll will soon be rebranded after being accused of a bearing a “sexist” name.
Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s range in Waitrose, a British supermarket, describes the roll as “the ultimate Caesar salad to go. A parmesan ciabatta roll filled with pulled, smoked chicken breast, beechwood-smoked bacon, and Parmigiano Reggiano, all topped with anchovy mayonnaise and cos [Romaine] lettuce for crunch.” Coincidentally — or perhaps not — anchovy-based spreads are sometimes referred to as “gentleman’s relish.”
One customer, British entertainer Amy Lamé, tweeted a picture of the sandwich in its packaging — which includes a buff, anthropomorphic rooster holding a fishing rod — with the sarcastic caption, “I never knew sandwiches were gender-specific. I’m female but thankfully @waitrose let me purchase this anyway.”
I never knew sandwiches were gender specific 👀 I’m female but thankfully @waitrose let me purchase this anyway 😏 pic.twitter.com/2KyVj2qG72
— Amy Lamé (@amylame) October 16, 2018
Criticism of the sandwich made its way up the food chain to Waitrose’s representatives, and a spokesperson eventually told the Telegraph, “It’s never our intention to cause offense — we’re not dictating who should eat this sandwich. We hope anyone who tries it will love the distinctive flavors. However, we are planning to change the name of the sandwich soon.”
There’s no word on what the new name will be.
The so-called sexist sandwich currently has a 2-star rating on Waitrose’s website, with reviewers calling it “too salty” with “slightly dry bread,” though “the filling tasted great.”
The controversy comes in the wake of other products recently criticized for having sexist names, including tissues by Kleenex labeled as “Mansize.” Kleenex’s parent company, Kimberly-Clark, has announced it will rebrand the tissues in response to a “consistent increase of complaints on gender concern.” The tissues, which allegedly earned their original name due to their strength and softness, will now be called “Kleenex Extra Large.”
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