Comments on: I Guess I Won’t Be Ordering My Cheesesteak in Kiswahili…

By: Sonagi

Sonagi — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:34:36 +0000

The truth is that a lot of cultures are merely settling in isolated colonial pockets in Canada and the US without integrating themselves into their new home country.

Actually, recent immigrant settlement patterns are the opposite: new arrivals are moving into smaller cities and towns to find work, lower rents, and safer communities. That is one reason why we are seeing more vocal opposition to immigration. Foreigners are becoming visible in relatively homogenous places where people aren’t used to ethnic and linguistic diversity.

By: Acropolis7

Acropolis7 — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:25:14 +0000

#12

I guess I was unaware that los numeros are now bastardized in the U.S.

By: hardyandtiny

hardyandtiny — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:13:18 +0000

judge judy’s right, just drop the “this is America” bit

By: Robert Koehler

Robert Koehler — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:51:53 +0000

#10 - But while there are a lot of Mexican immigrants in the US, its not 99.999%, so I don’t know where you got that number.

The commenter was taking a poke at the bastardized language that passes for English in the United States.

By: mateomiguel

mateomiguel — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:46:00 +0000

#9 - The whole row was started with people ordering in Spanish, as I recall. Not Chinese, not Russian - Spanish. Because the US has a lot of Mexican immigrants these days, ya know? They were ordering Philly cheesesteak in Spanish and it pissed off the owner, so he told his employees to only accept orders in English.

#10 - But while there are a lot of Mexican immigrants in the US, its not 99.999%, so I don’t know where you got that number.

I think if some guy wants to make a restaurant where you can only speak English its a free country, don’t worry about it and move on with your life. Its ambiance. Nothing to bleed a heart over.

By: Eujin

Eujin — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:43:13 +0000

I may be a bit behind the curve on this one, but it seems to me that alienating 99.999% of Americans just because they don’t speak English is just not smart. Why doesn’t he just point out that there’s no bath in the bathroom, people shouldn’t try to take a rest in the restroom, maths has never been singular unlike physic and economic, you shouldn’t try to put gas in your car and there’s no such university town in England called Arxford.

By: yt

yt — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:35:25 +0000

do people actually go into a restaurant and order in foreign languages? am i to believe that geno has had customers try and order sandwiches in russian or chinese? seems like complete bs to me. reminds me of the jackasses that get upset because an operator asks them to press 1 for english and 2 for spanish. i could understand being upset if my language wasn’t available but being upset for offering other languages seems pretty idiotic.

By: Bipolar Mindscrew

Bipolar Mindscrew — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:07:16 +0000

The truth is that a lot of cultures are merely settling in isolated colonial pockets in Canada and the US without integrating themselves into their new home country.

By: SomeguyinKorea

SomeguyinKorea — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:51:22 +0000

#4,

The truth is the US is a ‘melting pot’, remember?

By: SomeguyinKorea

SomeguyinKorea — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:49:45 +0000

…then again, that would be going against the tough guy image that people from Philly like to project (my guess is the sign is more about playing up on the image than politics).