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Arts and Culture

Batali vs. the Bankers

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Posted on Nov 10, 2011
Wikimedia Commons: Charles Haynes (CC-BY-SA) / U.S.

Oops: As the L.A. Times noted, Batali also managed to slight the Occupy Wall Street movement at the same event Tuesday.

Mario Batali, feel the wrath of the 1 percenters. The ginger-haired and orange-shod celebrity chef and owner of fancy New York eateries Babbo and Del Posto caused an uproar among Wall Streeters when he talked about bankers, Hitler and Stalin in the same sentence.

Batali’s zinger happened at a Time magazine-sponsored lunch Tuesday, and a reporter from Forbes didn’t miss the chance to stir the pot with his target demographic later that day. By Thursday, the blowback was in full effect, as angry bankers took to the Web to exact revenge. Batali backpedaled, but he may have to do more than he’s done to win back the offended financiers and their mouth-watering expense accounts. —KA

Los Angeles Times:

Channeling some of the anger of Occupy Wall Street, Batali bemoaned the influence of the financial industry with a rather inapt comparison:

“The ways the bankers have kind of toppled the way money is distributed and taken most of it into their hands is as good as Stalin or Hitler and the evil guys.”

This did not sit well with the many bankers who take their clients to Batali establishments such as Babbo and Del Posto—and they made their ire known swiftly.

In the restaurant review section of the Bloomberg financial network—the online home of Wall Street—Batali’s restaurants were bombarded with negative reviews. By Thursday morning, all of the five most reviewed restaurants were Batali owned, and nearly every one of those reviews said “don’t go.”

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By chris witting, November 16, 2011 at 4:15 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Mario Batali has stolen tips from his waiters. He should take it easy on the 99.9% himself.

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By Phillip Irwin, November 14, 2011 at 9:14 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Ah-hem…..  99% > 1%.

If the movement gets behind Batali - I’m SURE that there are more than enough in
NYC to make the absence of the Hitler- / Stalin-esque banker-scum a welcome
vacuum, space where worthy and welcome guests can eat and drink.  Once it
becomes known that he has been e-black balled, that, too is likely to turn into a
windfall.

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caped amigo's avatar

By caped amigo, November 13, 2011 at 11:06 am Link to this comment

It may turn out to be a costly slip, but I admire Mario for having the courage to
speak his mind. Unfortunately, few of us 99%ers can afford to eat at Mario’s
restaurants to take up the void.
I hope he finds a way to survive and at the same time serve us folks too. Would be
quite a victory.

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By leakman, November 12, 2011 at 12:17 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I like Mario Battali as a chef. But he caters to the same people he is being critical
of.  That they sicked their “word goons” on him, is not suprising. They own the
media and they treat the common man like mushroom’s; feeding us shit everyday.
Maybe he could offer a $60 Prix Fixe meal, that is simply prepared, but has a
deliciousness, that would fill up his restaurants and say to hell with the Wall Street
assholes.  Make up in volume, then you wouldn’t have to kiss their butts anymore.

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Outraged's avatar

By Outraged, November 11, 2011 at 11:13 pm Link to this comment

Hilarious, rich people problems. What will they do?

Kinda funny how all those “you can’t boycott us” folks
IMMEDIATELY turned around and boycotted his
restaurants.

So boys and girls, when they say “they don’t care” if
you boycott them and “it won’t work anyway”. Let this
be a lesson. It works just fine.

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By horatio, November 11, 2011 at 2:36 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

poor fat bastard can’t say what he really thinks because the wall street parasites will send their paid trolls to write crappy reviews about his restaurant. It really shows their commitment to free markets and honest competition when they pay shills to do that kind of thing. Batali’s right, though. And just because he’s a successful so-and-so, that doesn’t mean he’s part of the problem.

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By OnePercentYuppieScum, November 11, 2011 at 10:46 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Batali and his ilk have been having their cake and eating their cake for a long time.  They cater literally and figuratively to rich “foodie” types, and make their living hob nobbing with the 1% who are killing us all.  What did Mario expect, a prize?  He’s biting the hand that feeds HIM.  Maybe he should put HIS money where his mouth is, and stop catering to the rich and get busy working to feed the poor and work toward making food in America that is available to the poor, more healthy AND palatable.  Turnabout’s fair play.  Wake up, Mario!

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Leefeller's avatar

By Leefeller, November 11, 2011 at 3:26 am Link to this comment

Well, more recently he could have cited examples .... like Gaddafi in Libya or the ass hole in Syria, don’t they qualify as the 1 percent?

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By Foucauldian, November 10, 2011 at 3:07 pm Link to this comment

Better yet, serve ‘em the dose of their own medicine.

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mrfreeze's avatar

By mrfreeze, November 10, 2011 at 3:04 pm Link to this comment

Hey, Mario is from my neck of the woods (Seattle). Too bad he’s established himself so deeply in NYC. He should close down, tell all those Wall Street ass-holes to eat s**t and die, and come on back here.

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By gerard, November 10, 2011 at 2:06 pm Link to this comment

“Channeling some of the anger of Occupy Wall Street, Batali bemoaned the influence of the financial industry with a rather inapt comparison:” likening
the Wall Street robbers to Hitler.
  Corrections: Not an “inapt” comparison
          Not a “betrayal” unless and until
          speaking the truth becomes “betrayal”
Topsy-turvy world:  $300 for a 7 course meal w. wine
while 30% of children in New York City under the age of 18 are living in POVERTY.(SamRoberts,NYT 9/22/11)

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eps62's avatar

By eps62, November 10, 2011 at 12:25 pm Link to this comment

I guess Mario is one of the good Guy’s. He is an amazing chief.

Even with the negative comments about his restaurants
I would make sure to eat there, just cus.

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By Foucauldian, November 10, 2011 at 12:12 pm Link to this comment

That would be a good one.  Let the best restaurants in NYC refuse service to these three-piece empty suits.

Let them dine at the local taverns, rubbing elbows with the hoi poloi.

And no, I don’t mean the Tavern on the Green, which has long been extant.

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