India’s Hitler-themed restaurant draws fire

[lindalove]

India’s Hitler-themed restaurant draws fire

MUMBAI, India - A new restaurant in India’s financial hub, named after Adolf Hitler and promoted with posters showing the German leader and Nazi swastikas, has infuriated the country’s small Jewish community.

Hitler’s Cross, which opened last week, serves up a wide range of continental fare and a big helping of controversy, thanks to a name the owners say they chose to stand out among hundreds of Mumbai eateries.

“We wanted to be different. This is one name that will stay in people’s minds,” owner Punit Shablok told Reuters.

“We are not promoting Hitler. But we want to tell people we are different in the way he was different.”

But India’s remaining Jews — most migrated to Israel and the West over the years — say they are outraged by the gimmick.

“This signifies a severe lack of awareness of the agony of millions of Jews caused by one man,” said Jonathan Solomon, chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation, the community’s umbrella organization.

“We are going to stop this deification of Hitler,” he said without elaborating.

The small restaurant, its interior done out in the Nazi colors of red, white and black, also has a lounge for smoking the Indian water pipe or “hookah.”

Posters line the road leading up to it, featuring a red swastika carved in the name of the eatery. One slogan reads: “From Small Bites to Mega Joys.”

A huge portrait of a stern-looking Füehrer greets visitors at the door. The cross in the restaurant’s name refers to the swastika that symbolized the Nazi regime.

“This place is not about wars or crimes, but where people come to relax and enjoy a meal,” said restaurant manager Fatima Kabani, adding that they were planning to turn the eatery’s name into a brand with more branches in Mumbai.

The swastika has its roots in ancient Indian Hindu tradition and remains a sacred symbol for Hindus. Nazi theorists appropriated it to bolster their central hypothesis of the Aryan origins of the German people.

What type of person could enjoy a meal after passing a stern-looking picutre of Der Fuhrer? That would be a real appetitie killer to most people.

You have to wonder about the rationale of someone to even think this was a good idea. Frankly, I think it's just plain stupid. What's next "Pol's Pot, all the mystery meat you can eat for $5.99"? Try the teriyaki seasoning; you'll never guess the secret ingredient.

Despite my feelings for the place, though, the guy has every right to open and maintain such an establishment, and it'll just be up to consumers to show IMO good judgement and let the place fail miserably.

[Ustwo]

Originally Posted by lindalove

What type of person could enjoy a meal after passing a stern-looking picutre of Der Fuhrer? That would be a real appetitie killer to most people.

You have to wonder about the rationale of someone to even think this was a good idea. Frankly, I think it's just plain stupid. What's next "Pol's Pot, all the mystery meat you can eat for $5.99"? Try the teriyaki seasoning; you'll never guess the secret ingredient.

Despite my feelings for the place, though, the guy has every right to open and maintain such an establishment, and it'll just be up to consumers to show IMO good judgement and let the place fail miserably.

I don't think Hitler would have the same effect on the average Indian as it would on the average European or American. Hitler is sort of a generic 'bad man' but his actions also helped India indirectly gain its independence from the U.K.

We have restaurants in Chicago that feature mass murderers like Al Capone and other gangsters, and people think thats just fine.

Hell I can imagine a Chinese themed restaurant with pictures of Mao all over and that guy is, in terms of murder, and I hate to be cliche here, 'worse than Hitler'. A quick google search gives this. Imagine if it was a book with Hitlers favorite recipes.

Fuchsia Dunlop on how to eat like Chairman Mao

Posted in Quicklinks | 23 July 2006

Fuchsia Dunlop

More from Observer Food Monthly: Fuchsia Dunlop on how to eat like Chairman Mao. There's a recipe for Chairmain Mao's red-braised pork in this excerpt from her new book on Hunan cooking, The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. I guess this means I can talk about the book now - Fuchsia asked me to hold off until the Observer published. More later this week.

So really, its bad taste, perhaps as bad as it gets, but its not nearly as hard to understand than someone doing the same thing in NY or Warsaw.

[Nisses]

How's using the image of Hitler as a promotional means suddenly a "deification"?

In Belgium at least, people younger than 25 are hard pressed to react like this... It's bad taste, sure, but the outcry to me seems exaggerated.

as for:

"What type of person could enjoy a meal after passing a stern-looking picutre of Der Fuhrer? That would be a real appetitie killer to most people."
Too bad we don't have one here, or I could say: Come see me eat. Come see just about everybody here eat. And we as a country are right next to Germany, there are lots of people here who were affected by Hitler's war.

We'll order seconds.


Now if there were a life-sized stuffed Hitler saluting in front of your plate... That would be a little unnerving.

[CSflim]

Originally Posted by lindalove

"Pol's Pot, all the mystery meat you can eat for $5.99"?

Genius!


More seriously: The owners of this restaurant are just plainly trying to drum up controversy to get some free publicity. They are not even being coy about this, they just say it right out
for
“We wanted to be different. This is one name that will stay in people’s minds,” owner Punit Shablok told Reuters.

[Charlatan]

Sure it's bad taste, but Ustwo's right... this is only new in that they are using Hitler... I have been to night club's with names like Red Square that have pictures of Lenin and Stalin all over them...

You can't tell me Stalin was a good guy who didn't kill a lot of people.

[Cynthetiq]

eh... nothing new here. Themed restaurants draw attention and hopefully patrons.

People like to go to Spark's Steakhouse in NYC because right in front is where Paul Castellano was gunned down by John Gotti and his crew.

Heck there used to be a BDSM restaurant where you could order spankings.

besides, there's even a website for where people can see cats that look like hitler.

[warrrreagl]

Originally Posted by lindalove

What type of person could enjoy a meal after passing a stern-looking picutre of Der Fuhrer? That would be a real appetitie killer to most people.

You have to wonder about the rationale of someone to even think this was a good idea. Frankly, I think it's just plain stupid. What's next "Pol's Pot, all the mystery meat you can eat for $5.99"? Try the teriyaki seasoning; you'll never guess the secret ingredient.

Despite my feelings for the place, though, the guy has every right to open and maintain such an establishment, and it'll just be up to consumers to show IMO good judgement and let the place fail miserably.

I agree with ya. If someone wants to open a business that appeals to a certain niche, then go for it. If it sells, it sells. If it doesn't, then rethink your business plan next time (are you trying to create a business that's cool or one that makes money? They rarely go together.)

On a personal note, Grancey and I lived in Iowa for awhile and there was a restaurant in Des Moines (I think it was Des Moines, but Grancey may correct me here) that featured lots of Civil War era photos on the wall. As we started looking closer at the ones hanging on the wall at our table, we realized we were looking at photos of large piles of Confederate dead being tossed into mass graves. Although it wasn't the most appetizing idea for a restaurant, we figured there must be a contingency of Iowans out there who get off on seeing stacks of dead Rebels. I guess we could have gotten all victimized and traumatized at the possibility they were displaying some of our dead relatives plastered on the restaurant walls, but we didn't. Instead, we would drive by local cemeteries and call out, "Look at all those dead Yankees!"

As you read this, be aware that Grancey has already planned where she's going to shoot me when I get home for telling this.

And speaking of shooting.....you know the deal where you point to a little kid's nose and say, "What's this?" Then you point to his ears and say, "What's this?" Well, I'm not making this up. When you point to a kid's belly button in the South and say "What's this?" the proper response is "That's where the Yankees shot me." I swear I'm not making this up.

[lindalove]

They're dropping the name.

Under fire, Indian eatery drops Hitler from name

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A restaurant in India's financial hub has agreed to change its name from "Hitler's Cross" following strong protests by the country's tiny Jewish community and pressure from Israel.

"Hitler's Cross," which opened a week ago using posters of the Fuehrer and Nazi swastikas for publicity, initially refused to change its name, but relented Thursday and covered its signboards with white cloth.

The restaurant's name and its marketing gimmick had infuriated India's Jewish population, which had said it would fight any attempts at "rehabilitating Hitler."

Germany and Israel joined the protests with the Israeli consul-general in Mumbai writing to city authorities urging them to take steps to get the restaurant's name changed.

"We acknowledge that the name adopted by us for our restaurant was most inappropriate," Satish Sabhlok, one of the owners of the multi-cuisine restaurant, said in a statement.

"Our intention was not to glorify Hitler or his atrocities or ideology in any way and we regret the anguish caused by the use of this name."

The owners were yet to decide on a new name, he added.

The Indian Jewish Federation, the community's umbrella organization, said it was relieved.

"The incident exposes the lack of understanding of the present generation about the atrocities of the past and the need to educate them about crimes against humanity," federation chairman Jonathan Solomon said.

[X3N0]

The restaurants idea for standing out amongst the other local eateries is a very simple but extremely affective. It stood out so much that the it drew so much negative attention, the name has been changed.

The people who experienced the horror of World War II by it directly effecting their lives, or the people they knew and cared for, most likely still have strong feelings against the thought or image of Adolf Hitler. This animosity is completely understandable, but if a restaurant cannot publicly display the memory of him, does it outrage the same people by knowing that his memory still exists. His memory does live on. It lives within things such as: many fiction and non-fiction novels, and textbooks in public schools, probably world wide, as an undying hatred in some, and an understanding and acceptance in others.

Adolf Hitler's memory and the impression left in this world will take generations to deflate, but hopefully never be forgotten. The atrocities against mankind that were directed under his will should never be forgotten. Less, we may find ourselves under the direction of a ruler who has convinced the masses of a better life in the future he sees.

Hitler's Crossing could have been a place of discussion amongst diners about how one mans thoughts influenced their lives in a multitude of ways. It could have even been used as a place for people to be strongly reminded of the times they experienced who had still not fully recovered. Possibly, finding others who experienced similar experiences, and maybe learn how they were able to accept their past.

The anger expressed by this people is ridiculous if they stop at pressing to have the name of the restaurant changed. May they be as prominent in their beliefs that his name be stricken not only from the restaurant, but from every form of written communication in this world. If that were to occur, let something save us from them having the motivation to strike it from our memories as well.

Wouldn't that be atrocious.

[Seer666]

In bad taste? Oh yes. Funny? Oh yes. If the foods good, I'll eat it. From the murding man man to a house hold brand name of cooking supplies. No less racist then Aunt Jamima, really.

[magictoy]

Originally Posted by lindalove

They're dropping the name.

A couple of the people here must have started screaming "Godwin" at them.