tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068115.post1212704714149373052..comments2023-10-24T07:22:18.795-04:00Comments on Philadelphia Freedom Blog: Speak English or starve: The Philly cheesesteak saga continuesMary http://www.blogger.com/profile/05613115619146886438noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068115.post-18305620311415538562007-12-16T16:26:00.000-05:002007-12-16T16:26:00.000-05:00Yes. I've traveled extensively. The last time I le...Yes. I've traveled extensively. The last time I learned enough Latvian to order coffee and beer. And in case it wasn't clear in my rambling note: I'm not supporting Mr. Cheesesteak. I just had some questions, which I asked and you didn't answer. <BR/><BR/>Hopefully, I have answered yours. Regards.Curt Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04323622306452100363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068115.post-41256301332325534482007-12-16T16:21:00.000-05:002007-12-16T16:21:00.000-05:00Curt -Thank you for sharing your perspective.Have ...Curt -<BR/><BR/>Thank you for sharing your perspective.<BR/><BR/>Have you ever traveled to a country where you were not fluent in the language? Perhaps on a group tour or a business trip? Assuming so, did you get hungry?<BR/><BR/>How would you have felt if you had walked into a restaurant in, say, Paris or Beijing, only to see a sign saying that you must be able to speak the native language in order to be served?<BR/><BR/>And what about my Grandma Leoni? Should Joey Vento have turned her away rather than take the extra 10 or 20 seconds to interpret her pointing and sign language in order to take her order?<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/><BR/>MaryMary https://www.blogger.com/profile/05613115619146886438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068115.post-40322323643029649362007-12-16T15:18:00.000-05:002007-12-16T15:18:00.000-05:00Hey Mary: I don't know this guy, don't know the sh...Hey Mary: I don't know this guy, don't know the shop. But, do you suppose he means that people should speak a dialect South Philly American English or merely have taken the time to learn English to the best of their ability, and employ it when they order? I'm serious that I don't know the answer to this. If that is the case, whatever. Go to the shop or boycott it. It is a weird idea, though. Did he have people coming in presuming he would understand their Mandarin or Quechua? When it comes to government/public issues, not being able to speak comprehensible English seems like a real indulgence, one that the SF-area public transit authority engaged in. Frequently a Muni driver would seriously be unable to make himself or herself understood AT ALL. Considering they are responsible for people's lives, this seems a real terrified-by-looking-like-a-racist policy. But cheese-steaks? Delicious, but not life threatening.Curt Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04323622306452100363noreply@blogger.com