Courtesy Milk Cult.

Courtesy Milk Cult.

The latest entry in D.C.’s collection of poorly named menu items: “Bangkok Brothel.”

Local ice creamery Milk Cult has actually been selling a coconut milk-based ice cream with thai basil, cilantro, hot thai chili peppers and lemon zest under that name since last summer.

But a tweet from Union Kitchen, where Milk Cut makes its wares, brought it to the attention of advocacy groups and others concerned with the reference to sex trafficking.

The Instagram photo, which had garnered a number of critical comments, has since been taken down.

When asked about that response, co-founder Ed Cornell wrote: “Yes we were definitely aware of the comments we were getting about the flavor.” He said that it was the first time that anyone had reached out about it, and the controversy prompted them to meet with HIPS, an organization that works with sex workers and drug users, and Empower, a Thai NGO that works with sex-trafficking victims.

Cornell and co-founder Patrick Griffith also posted a note on Facebook in an attempt to explain their thinking:

When we originally thought about the name we didn’t want to avoid using a word like “brothel” just because some people in the community would be afraid to have a conversation about what that means. Moreover, neither of us considered it a slur. But, after speaking with some members of the community about the name, we realized that trying to use the “taboo” technique without providing the appropriate context provides disinformation and is irresponsible. For that, we sincerely apologize.

The pair plans to donate a portion of sales to HIPS and Empower, and will add labels to the packages with information about the groups.

“We hope that working with these groups, people in troubled situations lead a healthier life and achieve self-determination. Stigmatizing or forgetting disempowered people is just as unhelpful as using them as a punchline,” they wrote.

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