The outburst of the Australian presenter Abbie Chatfield: “It is a gesture of patriarchy.” The restaurant apologizes. Chef Cracco: «Exaggerated accusation». Andrea Berton “I would give it to everyone with the prices, even if we continue to have them both”
The menu of discord this time has the face of Abbie Chatfield, the Australian influencer and radio host on vacation with her boyfriend in Venice who was indignant on Instagram for the card without prices received at the «Club del Doge» restaurant: an old custom widespread not only in Italy – in Peru, in 2019, a restaurant was fined for this – and especially in haute cuisine which requires the man to pay the bill. And that made her cry out to “patriarchy”.
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Under attack on social media by many Italians
Now Chatfield would be under attack by “a lot of angry Italians” who are writing to “take education lessons”: “Guys, admit it’s sexism,” she writes in her stories. The theme seems small but in reality it is huge, it calls into question the relationships of couples, of strength, etiquette and even gallantry. That never hurts, but in 2022 it may not be decided upstream: pay whoever wishes, whoever invited, whoever can. Or it splits. In any case, given the uproar, the restaurant apologized: «We are sorry to have created inconvenience to a guest. We will take advantage of our mistake to improve ourselves. Now we will ask all customers which card they prefer ».
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The courtesy menu
It is not the first time that the “courtesy menu” generates controversy: in 2017 the critic ofObserver Jay Rayner crushed the “Le Cinq” in Paris (also) for this. In recent months, the influencer Tea Hacic has contested the “Boeucc” of Milan and Augustina Gandolfo, girlfriend of the football player Lautaro, took it out on the “ladies menu” Of
various Italian places, posting in this case a part of that of the “Ristorante Cracco”. An episode to which the chef from Vicenza does not refer: «No one has ever complained to us – he explains -. And if a customer comes out and comments differently, I can’t do anything about it. But we have been delivering the menu with prices to everyone for at least 4-5 years, unless there is an explicit request to avoid it. Before, there was, in fact, the custom of bringing a normal menu and a courtesy menu to the table, now there is no male or female, there are only special needs that we satisfy ».
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Cracco’s defense
Cracco then defends his Venetian colleagues: “Unless they have denied the other menu once requested, the accusation of sexism seems exaggerated to me: they will have made this thoughtless gesture.” Here, the feeling is that you often follow a custom without dwelling too much, as Andrea Berton himself, a Michelin star in Milan explains: «We give the“ blind ”menu to the woman by default, as a habit. But in fact, if two women come in, they get it with the prices. And it happens that someone, if you don’t see it complete, gets annoyed, then we replace it immediately. I personally would give it to everyone with the prices, we have also raised the theme with the staff recently and have decided to go on as always. But it is a bit anachronistic also because, if I think of couples, one in four receipts is paid by the woman ».
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Oldani: “Idea to overcome”
Davide Oldani at the “D’O” makes no distinctions: “It’s an old idea that women don’t see prices.” Viviana Varese from «Viva» has changed pace for ten years: «Once upon a time at school we were taught to give menus without prices to women. But luckily things have evolved and customers are pissed off today. Even the wine list: it goes to the center or to those who ask for it, never by default to the man ». Antonia Klugmann at her «Argine a Vencò» is categorical: «The idea that women don’t pay is outdated. In 17 years I have never delivered a menu without prices, unless asked. I myself, if I were a guest, would like to know how much the other pays. ”
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April 6, 2022 (change April 6, 2022 | 22:47)
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