" This is a PSA to the seasoning constabulary … "

It all started when Zoeposted a TikTokchronicling her experience of putting together a meal made out of whatever she could find in her brother’s nearly empty kitchen while visiting him. The results: chicken braised in a garlicky peppered tomato sauce with a quick beer bread.

“I filmed in sort of a haphazard manner and only recorded what was necessary,” Zoe later told BuzzFeed. “It always feels a bit redundant to record up to 10 clips of myself adding salt, so I only included a small snippet where I added salt to my sauce.”

After Zoe directly engaged with several of the negative commenters, it was clear to her that there was a general misunderstanding regarding the term “seasoning” — specifically the power that salt can hold. So she made a response video “in an effort to discuss that salt and acid are necessary forallfoods and that fresh aromatics can be used to flavor food too.”

In the video, she pulls out various dried herbs and spices — a large container of garlic powder, onion powder, a bottle of dried rosemary, and a spice rub — and reminds viewers that these dried flavorings come from once-fresh ingredients…

Replying to @hudaam i will also bet that none of the good eating house in the world are using powdered spiciness to flavour their food , respectfully#seasoning#cooking

As the videomade the roundson Twitter, users called out Zoe for her choice of words.

@JustinTarnation This smell out racial … the “ seasoning police”you sleep with what she wanted to say

And the latest plot twist in this story: Twitter has now become rife with alt-right users taking “seasoning police” out of the original context, using the phrase as code (along with memeing screenshots from the original video) so they can effectively tweet appallingly racist sentiments without getting banned.

I wo n’t platform these people any further by provide y' all with links , but trust me , this poppycock is out there — and it ’s disgusting .

According to Zoe, the discourse around her response came as a shock. When asked about the backlash surrounding her video, specifically those who called out racist undertones or coded language in her response, she explained to BuzzFeed that she was speaking to internet trolls (and internet trolls only) and never intended the video to come across as a demonization of dried herbs and spices, cultural practices, or specific races. “My intentions were to share what I learned in cooking school when it came to the term ‘seasoning,’ and nothing more than that,” she clarified. “I mean, I wouldn’t have a Costco-sized bottle of garlic powder if I was anti–dried spices.”

She went on to explain that she didn’t mean to suggest that granulated spices or aromatics were at all bad. “I just wanted to say that fresh aromatics also serve a purpose when it comes to flavoring dishes,” she added. “And at the end of the day, salt and acid actually hold themostpower in all cooking.”

On the subject of intentions, the catalyst Zoe cites forfilmingthe video in the first place — the “Where’s the seasoning” comment that broke the camel’s back, so to speak — is one that appears to be a common nuisance for other creators in the food space. A quick search for “seasoning police” on TikTok pulls in countless stitches and reactions to this particular controversy, but it also unearths several instances in which other creators aired qualms similar to Zoe’s. One of the first results is a 2021videofromCraw King, replying to a comment that read, “he lost me with simple salt and pepper.”

This one-size-fits-all idea of proper cooking is worrisome to Zoe, who makes it a point to let the types of dishes she cooks inform the flavors she adds. “I am part Hispanic, my mom is Mexican, and my grandma uses an abundance of chiles, garlic, and onions in her cooking,” Zoe said. “What I’ve learned from cooking foods fromallcultures is that I’m going to add flavors depending on the dish. If I’m making a French-inspired dish, I’m not always going to add the chiles that are used in Mexican cooking. It’s so case by case that cooking is never one-spice-fits-all.”

GIF of contestant on cooking show cooking and saying, "All I can hear are judges saying salt, salt, season, salt"

Twitter: @BlackBostonSpo2

Zoe smiling with a sunset behind her

Pouring olive oil onto plated chicken dish in sauce with onion, garlic, bell peppers, marinara

Various comments on the TikTok, like, "You're screaming northerner by only using salt as seasoning," and "Not even salt? You should be arrested!"

Turning seared chicken that's golden brown on one side

Zoe's TikTok, saying: "This is a PSA to the seasoning police on this app; if, in your brain, you only view seasoning as things like garlic powder, onion powder, or maybe something like rosemary. let me pose you a question"

Zoe cooking the original dish in black and white, saying "I sautéed those bell peppers along with my onion and garlic"

Various comments from the TikTok that are positive, including "TikTok thinks the only way to season food is to overload it with powders until it's grainy"

Negative comments, including "Watch your tone with that 'seasoning police'"

Comment saying between the seasoning police and glove police, foodtok has some of the most annoying commenters

Zoe holding up a bottle of Costco's Kirkland brand garlic powder to the camera, with an arrow pointing to it

Zoe pointing to salt in video and saying "if your food tastes a little off, it's not because you need to add more powder; most of the time you need more salt or some sort of acid, like lemon juice or vinegar"

Comment saying "he lost me with simple salt and pepper" and the flushed emoji

Crispy pork belly on a plate

Crispy pork belly with negative comments overlaid: "Bro start seasoning your food, "Llooks good but needs more than salt wtf," "No sazón, ajo or orégano?"

Zoe looking into the camera while sprinkling salt over raw chicken, with comment, "Laughing at the intentional videos of every salt addition; looks divine go off!"