Should I continue to patronize the Racist Deli?

[KickTheBobo]

Fellow Friends of Tom,

I am having a bit of a moral dilemma here. There's this deli near me (Jim's Deli in North Kingston, RI) that makes the most amazing sandwiches. There is such a variety, and every one that I have ever tried has been (as my girlfriend Rachael Ray would say): DELISH! My favorite would be the Manhattan, which is sliced turkey with cole slaw,melted mozzarella & russian dressing on a fresh torpedo roll. mmmmmmm.

Here's the thing: I was in there the other day, and there was a rotund man in his 40s behind the counter having an animated conversation with some young fellas about this and that. I ascertained that this was "Jim" himself. Somebody happened to mention Broad Street (which is where a significant population of black & latino folks make their home). Jim went on to make this comment:

"yeah, Broad Street...that's the real bottom rung of the gene pool there".

okay, first off that comment made no sense. second, why does he think that sort of thing is okay to just say in a deli full of people? third, this fucker must've been pushing 350lbs at maybe 5'8", so if you are going to use the whole "gene pool" dig, well take a look at the man in the mirror.

the sandwiches are so good though.

at first I thought that I would boycott this establishment due to this remark, but found myself placing an order. I went back last week as well. I'm trying to do the right thing, but hunger for those delicious sandwiches is trumping any kind of PC feelings I have on the matter.

Am I just overreacting? Would you continue to patronize such an establishment after the owner made a remark like that?

I need some guidance here, friends.

[John Junk 2.0]

Ask 'em to put some brothers up on the wall (next to the picture of Hitler) and see what happens.  If they refuse, throw a garbage can through the front window and set the place on fire.








I don't know, I would just keep going.  A lot of people say kinda racist stuff.  Especially old people that own stuff.  If something happens again, or If they have actual discriminatory practices and policies, then boycott.

[erika]

Every deli I ever worked in had more than a few racists that worked there. (I've worked in 3)

[emma]

If there's a tip jar on the counter, steal from it.

[Bryan]

Is there any other possible interpretation of this remark?

And is being racist in itself bad enough to warrant a boycott? I don't think it is, unless he actually follows through on it somehow.

There must be some kind of complicated "test" you could set up to try to trick him into demonstrating his racism. Ideally, a real screwball plan that would quickly spin out of control, in a Curb Your Enthusiasm kinda way.

[colonel panic]

I don't want to touch this one with a 10 foot sandwich.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

unfortunately, im going to be the one to break it to you that i would stop going there.  not because i think it will change anything (i.e. his opinion), but merely because im not going to help this creep pay his bills when he's throwing people under the bus like that.

i stick by my own.  trust me, youll find another killer deli. 

[Emerson]

Seems like the "gene pool" comment was more of a thoughtless cliche than Jim's endorsement of eugenics. I'd keep going until I saw him treat someone badly. If I refused to buy anything from anyone with an idiotic opinion, I'd have to grow my own sandwiches.

[Regular Joe]

I myself am kinda ethnic so I'd be offended by that statement, but I think it entirely depends on how good the food is. From what you say it's obviously killer enough to crave and talk about here, so I think it may be worth braving the intolerance for.

In a perfect world you could just call up the Tyra show and let them do you up in a disguise for an expose segment, but then you probably could never go back there after that, so maybe not the best idea. Do what Junk Lee said.

[Bryan]

I worked in a deli in Oxford. Things started going south for the place when a fancy Marks & Spencer Food Store opened across the street. Basically they sold most everything that we'd sell, plus they had brand appeal.

Anyhow, one kindly old English lady assured the proprietor of our store that she'd "never shop in that Jew store across the street." I guess she was trying to be supportive, but the anti-semitism really undercut the gesture.

[mokin]

If Broad Street is a poor neighborhood, he could just be a classist/Social Darwinist. I really doubt it, though. And it wouldn't make it any better.

[Gilly]

I knew a few people in a church I used to attend that made it a point to only frequent Christian owned businesses. That's a little different but I think it's kind of ridiculous to make a conscious effort to go to like-minded businesses. Maybe write a letter saying that you really like the place and will continue to eat there but that you wish you wouldn't have to hear that kind of garbage.

[John Junk 2.0]

Maybe write a letter saying that you really like the place and will continue to eat there but that you wish you wouldn't have to hear that kind of garbage.

Yes, there's no way that this will elicit contempt from the guys working at the deli.

[emma]

Maybe write a letter saying that you really like the place and will continue to eat there but that you wish you wouldn't have to hear that kind of garbage.

Yes, there's no way that this will elicit contempt from the guys working at the deli.

One hopes he wouldn't attach a photo or anything.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Man, that's tough.  If you can find another awesome sandwich in your neighborhood I'd say go for that, but it takes a hell of a lot to tear me away from a really great sandwich.  And I have bought many sandwiches from creaps in my life.

In the interests of full disclosure, there are no really good sandwich places in my current neighborhood (while there are many in my ancestral homeland of Jersey) so I could just be longing for that turkey sandwich right now.