From Metro.co.uk:
A student and his girlfriend are outraged after being called a ‘black couple’ on their receipt by staff at a London pub.
Johnson Abraham, 24, and Roxanne Duhur, 21, claim they were the only couple dining when they received their bill at the Slug And Lettuce in Islington Green.
Mr Abraham, a mechanical engineering student from Dalston, was at the pub last month with Ms Duhur to celebrate her new job as an estate agent.
They ordered at the bar, without a table number, before going upstairs to find a seat. When they went to pay for the meal the comment ‘upstairs blk couple’ was printed on the bill.
Mr Abraham said: “I was outraged. They wouldn’t have written ‘white couple’. I do class it as racism. It spoiled what should have been a celebration.”
Eh… There are plenty of incidences of racism still out there in the world today. This doesn’t seem to be one of them.
(via Arbroath)
Comments
24 Comments so far. Leave a comment below.Maybe it meant “bulk couple” because of all the food they ordered.
Well, they’re right; the comment wouldn’t have read “white couple”.
Nor would it have read “clothed couple”, as that’s not very descriptive either. The point of the notation is to differentiate the customer(s) from others. Had the man been wearing a hot pink cowboy hat, the bill would probably have stated that instead.
I’ve had a bill in a restaurant in New Zealand say “Irish couple”. Seemed okay to me, because that was an absolutely accurate description. I don’t see how this differs.
Working in a kitchen I see lots of entertaining descriptions that come back on the tickets that the customers do not see. When a customer sits at a table they simply use the table number but if someone orders to go or sits at the bar they have to put a description and they are almost always very inappropriate.
If it were up to me, this is the apology I would give them.
Haven’t they noticed that they’re black? I’ll bet they’re just looking for a quick buck from a lawsuit.
Stewmeat, do you have any examples?
Just to anyone that’s not familiar, The Slug and Lettuce are chain pubs, sort of the McDonald’s of the pub world, employing the plebbiest scum on offer. It’s because of this it’s probably safe to say that any hot pink cowboy hats would’ve been overlooked. I’m surprised they weren’t described as “coons” or something completely outrageous, going by the sort of people that work in places like that.
What do you feel insecure about? More pointedly and more analogously true to this situation, what visible feature do you feel you are oppressed for? Oppressed is a little strong, but apt. If at other moments in your day you sense that you’re being treated differently because of this visible feature but give others the benefit of the doubt and quietly interact with them anyway because you have no clear proof of their prejudice, wouldn’t it be reasonable to get upset if you now had evidence of someone viewing you as “black” or “gay” or “female”? It seems a bit droll, but see it as an empathy exercise. Beverly Daniel Tatum came up with this in “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”. If we can find commonality in our experiences we can hopefully understand the outrage we’re doubting here. Look at all sides of the issue, dudes. We’re skeptics here, right?
I was born in New York City, raised my whole life here by my immigrant parents, and I can recall similar incidents where you’re having a conversation with a stranger or a new acquaintance and everything’s of normal, pedestrian topics of discussion when all of a sudden the person asks where I’m originally from or compliments my English. Like, really? The whole time we were talking you were waiting to find out exactly what type of Asian I am? Was that all you saw when we started talking? Is that all you’re going to still see even when we’re good friends? Being suddenly aware of how people hone in on certain features can elicit one of the more uncomfortable feelings of alienation and being seen as an “other” despite all other signs pointing to me being your typical kid from Queens.
I like the direction comments usually take and love Chris’s posts. Disagree with everyone on this one, though.
Alienation!
From Arbroath’s comments, someone pointed out that the table number is on there.
would they have been happier with “goofy pimple face” and “sweet tits”?
If I was sitting in a restaurant full of black people, it would be fine to point out that I was white. As “Rev. Snarfleez J. Cattleprod ” said, it’s about distinguishing you from the norm.
I’m never upset when I get “probably well-hung guy”
Andy, I’ll have to take your word for it that it wouldn’t bother you. I wager that you’d be feeling differently if it really happened. It’s easy to simply make the switch in your imagination and attempt to justify what happened (”It wouldn’t bother me!”).
Walking into a restaurant with a waitstaff who aren’t the same ethnicity, bluntly referring to you as the white people at table 12, it’s not easy to excuse when you’re just trying to have a dinner with the husband.
I would point you fine people to a summary of some of the more repeated points in most topics of discussions around race:
http://resistracism.wordpress.com/racism-101/
For further exposition on the points in that link, I wish everyone would read the brilliant posts by Racialicious. Hope I’m not breaking any linking rules here. Admins do as you need to do.
To dismiss this couple’s reaction is puzzling. If a victim feels wronged, I find it strange that when it comes to racial concerns, the instant reaction here is to belittle and write off as ludicrous, instead of the usual attempt to sympathize and empathize. Even if you disagree and say that there is no prejudice here, there is still ample opportunity to try to understand the couple’s reaction and where they’re coming from.
I’ve still got a bus ticket from some small place in Ecuador where the ‘name’ field has been filled out with “Gringo.”
Maybe that’s offensive, I don’t know – I just thought it was funny…
I’m fond of reminding people: If you’re a white male, in modern day USA, you can come face-to-face with prejudice (even racism), but *not* oppression. From what I’ve heard about this chain of “pubs” and taking into account that I’m a white man, I am very inclined to accept their claims of racism.
Filtering things further, I’d say it’s probably low-grade morons at work & play in the pub – rather than institutionalized racism. Still, I think they deserve an apology.
What if a second black couple would have come in a few minutes after them and dined upstairs? “Other Upstairs Blk couple”?
Okay, I waited tables and tended bar for years, so let me clear a little air.
First, we don’t know your names, so we use descriptions. I usually use location and person count: “n cnr 2″ to mean “north corner, 2 people.” At a big bar with no good markers, it becomes “3FC” or “2MC” for 3 females, center or 2 males, center, respectively. Sometimes, I L337 it up, and label someone “A55″ which clearly means ass, but I can always say that it’s a table number if anyone asks (not that they do). Another popular is FW (fuckwad) AH (asshole) SFB (shit for brains), etc. As long as a guest would never figure it out, it’s cool (So SOB is out).
However, as much as in the kitchen I would say that the description is fine (”yeah, can you bring that tray of food out to the black couple upstairs?”) I would NEVER make that description available to the guests.
So, while using the most recognizable distinguishing trait to describe the couple is NOT racist or wrong; I do think that it is stupid, not hospitable or at all appropriate to use said description if it would be offensive to the guest in any way- it’s just bad form in the HOSPITALITY industry.
“I want to celebrate something, let’s go to the nearest Slug and Lettuce (or All Bar One, or Pitcher and Piano or any of this crapy new chain pub/bar)” -> Fail.
And, they are not black. Their skin seemw to be brownish (and apart from mimes, I don’t see many white people, too)
yeah, that was an asshat kind of thing to do since it does clearly have the table number on it. How hard would it have been to get a NAME? I deal with Indian names for Pete’s sake – how bad could theirs have been? First name? Would that be hard?
I always amazed by two things:
1) how hard it is to just be nice to the customers – for some reason that is just THE hardest thing to get people to do! Really – we are in the HOSPITALITY business and you can’t even smile when seating someone? Sheesh!!!! You get PAID right? I think being NICE is the easiest and best part of the job!!!
2) How fucking sensitive people are to the most ridiculous things! Holy crap! People getting pissed when you let them know the buffet is closing in ten minutes (you should tell us when we come in when you’re going to close! Okay I usually do but not when you come in an hour and half before then! Oh reading a sign on the door was too difficult?)
Here’s a good one. We had a couple come in the restaurant. I greeted them with my usual “Hi how are you!?” and they shrugged me off not looking me in the eye and literally turning their backs to me. I let it pass, stayed friendly, you never know. They got seated and proceeded to the buffet where they loaded up their plates like they had tapeworms. No big deal. They happened to be seated at the table that is in my direct line of sight and when I get the stares that’s where I look.
I admit, I did look at their plates – I was kind of digging how they had matching piles of food and how the samosa was balanced perfectly in the middle. I thought it was cute.
Later I see them talking to one of the guys – for over ten minutes. Finally they come up to the counter to pay. When I asked how everything was the guy blew up on me telling me how terrible it all was. Well of course I was apologetic and asked him specifically what was wrong and how I could fix it. He would not tell me. He asked me if I was the manager – I told him I am the owner. He still would not tell me. My husband came out finally and they start yapping in Hindi (that pisses me off every time because they think I don’t understand it HA HA)
He accused me of staring at them like they were wasting food (well, they were, but I don’t pay attention to that) and that it ruined their meal and how wrong it was and they felt so uncomfortable and how rude it was and they were never treated so badly. (Remember – they gave me the cold shoulder when they walked in!)
What the hell? I was nothing but friendly to them! That is what I mean by WAY over sensitive! This couple though – really would they have been as upset if it had said African couple? Should they have made a big deal out of it? Are they black? Did they get good service otherwise? Was their food okay? THEN what’s the big deal?!?!? I am so sick of how easily offended people are!
yeah – it’s all about me
LOL
“I’m fond of reminding people: If you’re a white male, in modern day USA, you can come face-to-face with prejudice (even racism), but *not* oppression.”
Exactamondo. Until you understand your privilige, it’s very easy to dismiss this problem.
I had a black coworker who referred to one of our customers, also black, as ‘the light skinneded dude’. I knew who he was talking about, but I’m pretty glad it wasn’t written down on paper anywhere.
They appear black, and if they where sitting upstairs then it seems factually correct. I dont see rasicm, how should they be described to a waiter trying to find the table?
It would be very difficult if another black couple arrived and sat up stairs.
You know what I look forward to? The day Earth gets invaded by space aliens. That’s the day that racism will finally die. When our alien overlords have enslaved us all, I scarcely think we’ll care about the skin color of the fellow shackled next to us; we’ll just be glad he’s a biped.
I get the point many are making here; when you have to deal with prejudice daily, this receipt would come as a slight. However, thinking reasonably, let’s for a moment imagine a scene where no server nor patron has a racist inclination. Would the term “black couple” cause offense? No.
However, because of the social climate of the day, I agree it was perhaps a bit insensitive, but I don’t see that as entirely bad. I can appreciate a little insensitivity when no harm is intended or caused.
Let me explain…
We need people like Dave Chappelle – people who break down the barriers of taboo and open the topic up for discussion so we can all get the hell over it. In order to move past this as a species, we have to stop being afraid to confront the issue.
So when this sort of thing happened, I think the couple should have let it slide. However, when they DID take offense (as some people surely will, and with good reason), the staff should have been immediately sympathetic and apologetic, perhaps making an accommodation to highlight the lack of malice.
How’s that for playing the fence?