http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06164/697741-153.stm

<snip>

The neighborhood around Ninth and Passyunk where Geno's has been happily ensconced for decades has become a little "too Mexican" for many South Philly natives in recent years.

Hispanics are moving in, bringing their culture and languages with them and changing the complexion and ethnic balance of the neighborhood.

Would Mr. Vento hang the same signs in his establishment if it were non-English speaking Italians like his grandparents moving in?

Still, you know we're living in dark times when the owner of a Philly landmark is compelled by the ugly politics of this age to do a "Lou Dobbs" on folks who only want a soggy, greasy sandwich to go, smothered with Cheez Whiz, hot peppers and ketchup.

but I do not speak English and believe you should post in my language. In the future, please write all your posts in Spanish.

I shall now sit back and watch the flames come. :(

good enough for ordering a cheesesteak!

http://www.gop.com/espanol

then so be it. If he develops a taste for mexican food, he may have to learn Spanish.

The people who do this kind of stuff end up being their own worst enemies.

If he doesn't want their money, they can go elsewhere. Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"?

Second: Yeah, his business really is that good.

Third: As much as I may disagree with the sentiment, Vento doesn't refuse service to anyone, whether they speak English or not.

Finally: One doesn't really use English to order a cheesesteak anyway. It's more of an argot or a cant, and Vento has had an instructional sign up on how to speak 'steak' as long as I can remember. (e.g. "wizz wit" vs. "wizz widdout").

BTW, I only speak Xhosa!, so if you could please post everthing from here on in in that I'd appreciate it.

instead of Gino's? Remember this flap?

If Sen. John F. Kerry's presidential aspirations melt like a dollop of Cheez Whiz in the sun, the trouble may well be traced to an incident in South Philadelphia on Monday.

There, the Massachusetts Democrat went to Pat's Steaks and ordered a cheesesteak -- with Swiss cheese. If that weren't bad enough, the candidate asked photographers not to take his picture while he ate the sandwich; shutters clicked anyway, and Kerry was caught nibbling daintily at his sandwich -- another serious faux pas.

"It will doom his candidacy in Philadelphia," predicted Craig LaBan, food critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, which broke the Sandwich Scandal. After all, Philly cheesesteaks come with Cheez Whiz, or occasionally American or provolone. But Swiss cheese? "In Philadelphia, that's an alternative lifestyle," LaBan explained.

And don't even mention Kerry's dainty bites. "Obviously, Kerry's a high-class candidate, and he misread the etiquette," LaBan said. "Throwing fistfuls of steak into the gaping maw, fingers dripping -- that's the proper way."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51517-2003Aug12?language=printer

I've gotta honor Pat's ....

Pat's is great! Sorry... not a Geno's fan. Geno's is good enough... but Pat's is #1.

I knew SOMEBODY would take issue with Geno's being the best. Oh, well. I guess politically I gotta goto Pat's now. :)

Cheers!

Gino's had the better steak, Pat's had the better fries

That's my idea, inspired by a bumper-sticker I saw a few days ago that said, "Welcome to America. Now, Learn English."

Welcome to America.
Now, Learn Tolerance!

If you want a decent cheesesteak in Ann Arbor, you have to make it yourself!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/wireStory?id=2068610

PHILADELPHIA Jun 12, 2006 (AP)— An English-only ordering policy at one of the city's most famous cheesesteak joints drew a warning Monday from officials who threatened to file a discrimination complaint.

<snip>

Lawton said that violates the city's Fair Practices Ordinance, which prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing.

<snip>

Vento, 66, whose grandparents struggled to learn English after arriving from Sicily in the 1920s, said Monday that he is not discriminating and has no intention of giving in.

"I would say they would have to handcuff me and take me out because I'm not taking it down," Vento said.

Also, the sign is in English, so who exactly is the intended target? This guy can't speak proper English himself, as evidenced by his appearance on CNN. He's strictly a dese, dem, and dose guy, and comes off as a bigot, while trying to claim that non-English speakers hold up the ordering line. Has this been a really big problem for him? So many non-English speakers holding everyone up? I tend to doubt it. I see where he's taken his staff's names and pictures off his website. Everyone must be getting death threats now.