Paris Sandwich Calls me a Terrorist
It all starts this Saturday noon, with my craving for some grilled pork Banh-Mi from one of my favorite (not any more) vietnamese sandwich shops Paris Sandwich.
I go into Paris Sandwich at 113 Mott St. (Betn. Hester and Canal) and order a sandwich and other stuff for a takeaway. My total comes to 14$. I give my card to the cashier and she tells me there is a minimum of $15 dollars for using a card. Thats a first for me from this store, which I have been to in the past.
Having a minimum is against the merchant policy laid out by Mastercard and Visa and I tell the cashier the same. She does not understand what I say, so I ask to speak to the manager. She goes to call the manager and comes back and says something to the extent that manager says sorry. I ask to speak to the manager at which time a lady comes out and asks me what the problem is. I tell her that it is unfair of her establishment to have a minimum policy on credit card transactions. While I am telling her this, the real manager, a guy in his early 30′s walks up and tells me to either follow the policy or leave.
Well, I tell him that I am leaving and that it still does not make his policy correct. I also inform him that I will file a complaint with MC and VISA via their online link. And I walk out of the store.
Standing on the sidewalk, I am noting the address of the shop and other details, and he walks out of the store and starts screaming at me. He comes inches away from me and threatens to hit me. I cannot believe what is going on and dont know whether to laugh or call 911. I clearly tell him to back off and his female companion pulls him away. He goes on ranting about how he hates people like me and tells me not to take pictures of his shop. I remind him that I am on a public street and can take pictures of the outside of his shop. This infuriates him even more.
At this point I am done with this asshole and turn away to go back to my bike. He shouts out to me…."fuck off you faggot". I stopped and went back and asked him if he was talking to me. He says "Yes you faggot". I simply ask him if he had seen himself in a mirror lately. This really infuriates him as a couple of other tourists on the road have been observing this and start laughing. As I turn away again, he shouts out at me "You terrorist, go back to your country".
Yes, these were his exact words. At that point I decided enough was enough, and called 911. The cops showed up after a short while and listened to both sides of our stories. They did give him a stern warning.
Funnily this incident did not thoroughly piss me off as such incidents usually do. And for once I was being way more calm than I am in such situations.
However its shocking that a Chinese guy calls me, an Indian guy, a terrorist in this one of the most immigrant friendly cities of the world.
For sure, I will never go to Paris Sandwich, and I hope that my complaint to Mastercard and the Better Business Bureau get him some grief.
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