My son’s teacher says the lunch I pack for him is “disgusting and inappropriate.”

A mother has sparked a fierce online debate after revealing that her son’s preschool complained about his “disgusting and inappropriate” packed lunches.

The 34-year-old, who is believed to live in the US, shared her concerns on the Am I The A******e (AITA) subredditexplaining that she often treats her five-year-old to kimchi and spam – reflecting their Korean heritage.

She also gives him small celery sticks with blue cheese and goat cheese, as well as “spicy Doritos marinated in Sriracha.”

Concerned users claimed the teacher was insensitive and racist as the post received over 5,600 comments.

However, some other people of Korean descent defended the teacher and said they would not put kimchi in a packed lunch because of the strong smell.

“A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a call from his teacher,” the mother explained.

The frustrated parent also lashed out at the teacher’s hostile tone as he spoke to her.

She made absolutely no effort to sound nice when she told me in an extremely rude and annoyed tone to stop packing my son with such “disgusting and inappropriate” lunches.

“I felt absolutely shocked when she said this as me and the teacher have always maintained a very friendly relationship until now.

She added that the lunches I pack for my son are “very distracting to the other students and have an unpleasant smell.”

“I told her I understand her concerns as the lunches I pack are certainly not the healthiest, but the lunches are according to my son’s preferences.”

The parent ends the call by saying that while she “dearly appreciated her concerns,” her child’s lunches would remain the same.

“It’s very important to me what my son likes, and I want him to like my lunch,” she added.

The post continued to explain that this wasn’t the end of the saga – as the teacher then emailed the mother about her “unacceptable” response, saying her son’s lunch was “just too inappropriate” for school.

Concerned users indicated that the teacher was insensitive and racist towards Asian cuisine as more than 5,600 comments came in the post

“I haven’t responded yet and I don’t want to,” she said. “I want to maintain a healthy relationship with my son’s teachers. I don’t know what to do?’

She was inundated with messages of support as others lashed out at the “racist” teacher and encouraged the mother to talk to the teacher’s superiors.

“Your son’s eating is perfectly normal for a five-year-old,” one of them assured. “Your family’s food is normal. The teacher is the a*****e because he doesn’t see that.’

“You should ask the principal if you should escalate the matter to the school board, or if she will deal with the teacher herself,” suggested another. “You deserve an answer.

Not everyone was so helpful, however, as other parents of Korean descent said they would never send their child to school with certain dishes

‘Teacher may find the food dirty, that’s her personal opinion. But in 2023 she should have kept her stupid opinion to herself.’

They also stressed that her son is at risk of being bullied due to the situation.

The other thing that bugs me about this is that if (and still a big “if!”) the other kids are really “distracted” from the food (read: teasing your child about the food), this teacher isn’t about you properly defend his son and teach these children to accept differences,” they added.

“Instead, she’s probably participating in the bullying herself. Massive bad apple racist vibes from this teacher.”

However, not everyone was so supportive, as other parents of Korean descent said they would never send their child to school with certain dishes.

One of them insisted they not carry kimchi—a traditional side dish made from salted and seasoned fermented vegetables—in their car “with gallon-sized double zipper bags” because of its strong smell.

The comment suggested making other foods from their culture, such as pickle gimbap – a type of seaweed rice roll.