One of my favourite restaurants is being criticised for cultural appropriation. Should I boycott it?

In this series Poppy Noor discusses an issue concerning how we can build happy, well-run communities. But what do you think? Send us your thoughts and responses

I like eating out and have been working in the restaurant industry for years. Recently, a restaurant that I love going to was called out in the media because an employee was posting racist content and mocking the people from which the food he cooks originates. Lots of people came forward to accuse the restaurant of cultural appropriation, basically saying that white people ran the restaurant and benefited from another culture’s cuisine, whitewashing it for a quick buck.

I’m confused by this. Chefs are always influenced by other cuisines, and I think it’s good to appreciate other cultures. I would hate to live in a country where we couldn’t eat food just because it’s from elsewhere. But I also understand the point about appropriation, because the food at this restaurant is severely overpriced and to be honest I don’t think people would pay so much for it if it wasn’t being cooked by trendy westerners. There are also many authentic restaurants serving this type of cuisine that are just as good, but struggle because they are made by the natives of that country, rather than English people. I think that matters, because it feels like 21st-century colonialism in terms of the white man (of which I am one) nicking ideas and getting credit for it.