Geno's Steaks Controversy Continues

The publicity over Joseph Vento's English only policy at Geno's Steaks in Philly continues unabated. The cheese steak entrepreneur refuses to speak to the Philadelphia since they quoted him smearing Mexicans by saying "they bring all kinds of diseases with them." Joe, go read some history and see what happened to the Mexicans when the Spanish conquistadores brought smallpox with them. If anyone is going to make that blatantly racist claim it ought to be the Mexicans, not you.

I love it when these anti-immigration people claim they aren't racists. Republican State Committeeman Mark Gillen even wrote a letter to the editor decrying those who say they are. Of course when guys like Vento do exactly that people like Gillen look like fools.

At any rate I decided to see how the policy works while in Philadelphia last weekend. Here's how the conversation went:

me: Is this Geno's?

clerk: Whose youse to say it ain't?

me: I'd like to place an order

clerk" Yo! yo, wetback, get back in line! (he was yelling at a customer)

me: I'd like a cheese steak

clerk: wid or widout?

me: what?

clerk: wid or widout?

me: speak English please

clerk: don go gitting snappy on me.

me: I'm simply trying to order a sandwich

clerk: you takin it to the Iggles field?

me: Iggles field? what's that?

clerk: it's over thar (points down Broad Street)

me: this would go much easier if you'd speak English

clerk: Yo! I'm as American as can be!

At that point I gave up. The language gap was too large to bridge.