Muslim Man's take-out burger from Petrol Station in Houston on 9/11 contains unexpected surprise

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Muslim Man Receives Take-Out Burger in 'Happy September 11th' Container

Posted by Robyn Lee, September 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/09/muslim-man-receives-take-out-burger-in-happy-september-11th-container.html



On September 11, Yelp user Tarek G.'s take-out burger from Petrol Station in Houston came with a shocking surprise: a container with an illustration that said "Happy September 11th" and showed a plane flying towards the Twin Towers. In his Yelp review, he describes what happened after he received his food:

Today is September 11th - and personally I don't think it's a nice way to honor the nearly 3,000 people who died that day 10 years ago. I said as much to the bartender, and asked him to please take the burger away and give me a refund. He sort of scoffed and proceeded to speak with his manager, and within earshot, called my friend and I "assholes" for complaining about what he clearly thought was funny. To be fair, the manager came over and provided me with a refund, but no apology or explanation. A bit stunned, we finished our beers and left it at that. Before leaving, I asked to get in touch with the owner so that I could voice my concerns - the manager asked me to leave my information, at the same time confessing that the "joke was f&$cked up". I did - and explained to him that I wasn't trying to cause a scene, but that as a person who worked near WTC that day I found it incredibly offensive. Still no apology or interest in finding out who was behind it. I left, frustrated that something so simple could not be resolved or even discussed with the very people who should want to understand why it was offensive.

As I walked out, I heard from behind the bar "Allahu Akbar..." repeated several times. Now maybe it's bad luck for them that I happened to be working near WTC and that I also happen to be a muslim (admittedly not the best muslim) - but as an American first and foremost, I find that kind of cavalier attitude offensive at best, and when coupled with the fact that it was coming from a service provider, prejudiced and anti-American at worst.

Petrol Station's owner Ben Fullelove met up with Tarek G. to apologize and fired the employee responsible for the drawing the next day. Tarek G.'s addendum to his review:

[xchrom]

1. That just makes me weep. 9-11 didn't 'change' anything - it just brought

American coarseness & our uncivilized behavior out for every one to look at.

[RKP5637]

3. And our coarseness & our uncivilized behavior just continues to get worse IMO. n/t

[myrna minx]

2. Speechless.

:-(

[dembotoz]

4. some people are such jerks

the burger should have been inspected for foreign substances.

not convinced that the 'artist' did not do anything else.

perhaps something criminal

[marmar]

5. Knuckle-draggers abound.

Just like the person who reported "suspicious" activity on the Frontier Airlines flight the other day - the suspicious activity being three brown people sitting next to each other and, GASP, using the bathroom in flight. :scared:

[unblock]

6. i hate to blame the victim here, but

seriously, what was he thinking ordering a burger from a place called "petrol station"?

:evilgrin:





(just to be clear, this post is 100% snark and i do indeed find the establishment's treatment of the customer reprehensible and i'm glad the employee is now an ex-employee.)

[KamaAina]

8. It is apparently an actual restaurant

housed in a converted you-know-what.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

11. Yep...these are from the Yelp review.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/petrol-station-houston

[JuniperLea]

7. How long before there are greeting cards?

Sickening.

[Starry Messenger]

9. My mechanic had his shop egged and all the tires on cars outside his shop slashed

on 9/11 this year. He and his family are from Yemen and own the shop.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. I imagine insurance companies all across the U.S. had to deal with similar claims...

...it makes my head spin knowing that there are people in our society who can pull this crap, especially on a day when people who actually suffered a loss on 9/11 are trying to cope and heal.

I was 3000 miles away, I watched 9/11 on TV like a lot of people, and I had no relatives in New York (or on any of the places). I don't know what I'd be feeling if I did.

[KamaAina]

13. Your mechanic? On the Peninsula?!

Ye gods! Apparently the virus that causes Teabagger Syndrome has drifted over the Coast Range. :scared:

[Starry Messenger]

14. Yep.

I was shocked too. But I remember growing up here in the 1970's there was a lot of anti-Middle Eastern hostility during the hostage crisis. Also, I met my first neo-Nazi (not willingly, I'll add) in a suburb behind mine in the '80's. Racism is everywhere, sadly. :(

[Rex]

10. 9/11 gave us more depression and hatred

from a group of people that wake up angry and go to bed blaming somebody else.

[Enthusiast]

15. It a plague of assholes!

[seabeyond]

16. this one offends us. but many times on du, we will have people do a funny,

that is not funny at all. just mean. or ugly.

we have threads were people die, and many will jump in to say a joke, about the death.

i dont get it, but then i am told to lighten up.

the reason i post, is we can be bothered when we post a thread about it, and turn around and do the same thing. feed the same ugly.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

17. I'm a Christian, and...

...some of the "Christ-bashing" threads I've seen on DU are no better than what's scribbled on that styrofoam box...especially the ones that are accompanied by "funny pictures."

[seabeyond]

18. lots of intolerance. and then to hear the hypocrisy....

and not say anything, really really challenges me.

i agree with you on the christian bashing. but, that being said, the bashing is directed at so many other groups. just an all around ugliness that i think the nets has fed and grows into our RL.

[seabeyond]

19. another thought, though...

it could be the ugly has always been out there in the same number, with the lack of empathy and i didnt have it around in RL and hte net allows me to see and hear it in abundance. i dont hang with people much. have always been a bet of a loner. so the few i have in my life, dont do this.

[Odin2005]

20. People are assholes, ugh!