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Heteronormative quesadillas in the Theater District

Lindsay Crudele reports she stopped by a new Theater District taqueria (name not given), asked the owner what he'd recommend:

... The owner answered, "Well, for the girls, they like ..." and "For the boys..." explaining that the latter prefer bulky burritos while the former dine on delicate quesadillas. ...

She reports her heteronormative, feminine quesadilla tasted vaguely of paper and cheap pico de gallo sauce.

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Comments

What is supposed to be odd about a food service owner recognizing that gender socialization points boys to big food items and women to small ones? Up next: A post on heteronormative clothing stores?

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As Lindsay posts, she's the one who tends to go for big bloody things at dinner, while her boyfriend goes for the dainty salads.

And as I type this, I'm thinking of the one person I know who really, really likes burritos (I know, I have a small circle of friends) - happens to be of the double-X variety.

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I'm vegetarian, and when I'm dining in a restaurant with an omnivore woman, if the person who brings our dishes is not the person who took the order, *very often* they just assume that the woman is the vegetarian. And not because I'm a huge burly-man man.

BTW, I say "sexist," but I think it's innocuous.

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It's an observation, a statistic. The guy sells these things all day, and notices what people order. He's not telling her what to order, he's just answering her question.

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Poor customer service is wrong. Stereotyping your customers in offensive ways, whether they squawk to you or the internet or not, is wrong.

Sometimes it is just amusing - like when the waiter in the cantina in Mexico city kept trying to serve my Mondelo Negro to a male colleague who didn't drink for religious/cultural reasons - but it is still inappropriate to delineate it as he did. How about "some customers" like burritos, but those who want something lighter usually prefer ...

BTW Adam, "heteronormative" typically refers to imposing or assuming heterosexual orientation. I would bet he would recommend a quesadilla to a lesbian, too. This was simply sexist - albeit mildly so.

What is totally sexist: when the worker behind the counter at a McDonalds INSISTS that your son MUST have the car and not the Barbie. That's "get the manager" time sexist.

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Poor customer service is wrong. Stereotyping your customers in offensive ways, whether they squawk to you or the internet or not, is wrong.

Jeez, give the guy a break. He's working minimum wage serving burritos, he's not serving $50 steaks. He didn't stereotype, either. He didn't tell her that she would like X because she was a "girl", he simply told her what both sexes like.

She asked a question, and wasn't happy with the answer. At this point, she has a choice. She can have fun with the guy, ask more questions, start some banter, and get more info, having some fun in the process. This way, the guy loosens up and tells you more than you may ever want to know. ;-) This is my technique.

Or, she can be a total bitch, whine about being insulted, sue the guy, etc. All that does is raise blood pressure. And it's a very good indicator about the type of person she is.

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This is my technique.

Right. So what YOU do is always the ONE RIGHT WAY.

Gotcha. Font of Education you are - not.

Let us know when we should/shouldn't be insulted or aren't doing things The Right Way. Please. Y

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Not the way. Never suggested that.

Is there something you don't like about my suggestion?
Do you have anything constructive to add?

Note that the writer was alone, there was no male accomplice with her. When the owner(?) responded to her question, he gave her the preferences of both sexes, even though there was no male with her. In short, it was information, possibly his stock answer, and maybe the start of some banter. If she had been with a male and the server had responded "Well, girls (looking at the writer) prefer X, while boys (looking at her companion) prefer Y", she might have some reason to whine, but not much.

Remember, the server is working from a vacuum, he has no idea who you are and what you like. If you ask him a vague question, you'll gat a vague answer. So, if you ask "What's good?", you'll get an equally-as-vague answer, like "Everything!". If the answer isn't informative enough, try again, ask another question, ask a more specific question, ask what he puts in the quesadillas. But, don't go whining about an answer you don't like.

Again, just give the guy a break.

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Adam's statement:

Lindsay Crudele reports she stopped by a new Theater District taqueria (name not given), asked the owner what he'd recommend

Your reply:

He's working minimum wage serving burritos

Please learn to read before you react all superior and shit about other people's reactions.

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Read the actual article, missed the "owner" part. My mistake. That has little bearing on the whole thing - see my post above.
And have a nice day yourself.

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And girls order cocktails and guys order beer and then it's the start of the night so guys are doing rounds of shots or it's the end of the night and girls are doing rounds of shots and crackheads order a taco because it's the cheapest thing on the menu while the theater crowd goes for a dinner plate because it's the most expensive thing on the menu. And Spaniards refuse to tip and the Irish can't tip enough, while business people in a taxi with the option to pay with a credit card will give a lower tip than people paying in cash. Girls know how to dress when going to Kashmir and guys wonder why their sneakers and noncollared shirt are a problem. Lesbians are cheap but gay dudes tip well. We are all different and specific in many varied ways, and this includes gender, race and moving all the way down to each individual's peculiarities and personal history.

This place from the review is probably Maria's Taqueria.

From the lackadaisical tone of the review, I just assumed the author used "the owner" as a go-to phrase for whoever serviced her as she didn't mention any extensive conversation about the business itself, just the need to satisfy her famished appetite on this scorching day. However, knowing this place and the people who work there, the owner sometimes works down in the ranks of ringing in your order or making your food. They're good-intentioned guys.

And it took them more than four months to finally open in that location last year (they originally hoped to be open by about mid-July...they finally opened late October) because of the financial landscape..So maybe minimum wage in one of the comments isn't the most precise thing to say, but it sort of conveys that whole "they're making these burritos or quesadillas or tortas all day long (even on those scorcher days), bang 'em out real quick to keep with the tone of a high-traffic area, try to make it past the slow summer season with business intact" thing. The owner could have a nice salary, but if the business doesn't survive, then he doesn't even have minimum wage.

The funny thing about these sexism rants is the burritos at this place pale in size next to the quesadilla, which is more of a large burrito but pressed--not the two tortillas with gooeyness packed in the middle sandwich-style. I would think more girls just get a burrito if they know what's up with the quesadilla, which is huge and messy. Or how about a bowl of chili and a side of rice...unless that's hermaphroditic fare!

Chill out people. It's just a lowly non-chain burrito place. Pretty simple. The vessels are burritos, tacos, quesadillas, tortas, etc., and then beef, chicken, carnitas and shrimp are the filling. Do you know what flavors you generally like? Do you feel like pork today or grilled chicken? The guy made an observation. If for some reason offended, ask him what he means..food-wise..not by busting out guns of sexist charges. Ask if one is bigger or messier than the other. Even better, get a burrito and a quesadilla, split both in half and share with a friend, if you have any.

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And if they service us, are we supposed to call them "owner"?

Sounds like a Davis Square thing to me.

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Faux pas or no, the food is pretty tasty and cheap and the service is friendly. Nice addition to the Theater District.

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