Cannoli Islamabad has been caught in a hot mess
You must have come across the viral video of a couple of elite, English-speaking owners of a restaurant in Islamabad who tried to banter with their manager but delivered a hot mess.
Last evening, the owners of Cannoli Islamabad, an upscale eatery in the capital, got themselves in a mess with their extremely elitist video that went viral all over social media
In the video, the two owners – who introduced themselves as Uzma and Dia – talk about how they’re bored so they’re making a video introducing their team. They then begin to introduce their manager Awais, who they say has been working with them for nine years yet does not know how to speak English. This is the moment everything begins to go downhill and the privilege and tone deafness of Uzma and Dia begins to show.
This is the most disgusting thing I have seen on Twitter today belittling the staff if they can’t speak English. I don’t know when would this vicious upper class come out of this English language complex & stop judging people on their Eng language skills#boycottCannoli #cannoli pic.twitter.com/acRtsp6FEx
— Fãtîmå (@Kan__Fatima) January 20, 2021
Well, what happened after this video went viral is not unknown to anyone considering that Cannoli Islamabad has become the most talked about restaurant in every corner of Pakistani social media
With people slamming the owners of their colonial hangover, their elitism and their language-shaming, virtually everyone has taken offence on behalf of the manager Awais who appears to have taken the jibes of his employers in his stride, considering he probably didn’t have any other option but to be civil as he was being shamed for his language skills – or lack thereof.
To the female owners of Cannoli who filmed this man Awais and made FUN of his English, this is called WORKPLACE HARASSMENT and what you two privileged BURGERS did is the most DISGUSTING thing. ENGLISH IS NOT THE MEASURE OF INTELLIGENCE!!!!#BoycottCannoli pic.twitter.com/LLuqUUONiI
— Amber Khurshid Raja (@AmberKhurshid_) January 21, 2021
Saw this comment under Cannoli's Instagram post. 👇😂💯! #BoycottCannoli pic.twitter.com/VIqcd6C5V8
— Zahra Khan Durrani (@ZahraK_Durrani) January 21, 2021
Anyone who is living in Pakistan must have to know these lines.
#BoycottCannoli pic.twitter.com/NV5Oql2bhA— Ehtisham Siddique (@iMShami_) January 21, 2021
Owing to the disastrous viral video, the campaign to ‘boycott Cannoli’ has become the biggest topic of conversation on Pakistani social media
So much so that the Lahore branch of the restaurant had to clarify that the disastrous video was of the Islamabad restaurant branch’s management and that the Lahore branch condemns that behavior
View this post on Instagram
Well, now the the owners of Cannoli Islamabad have responded after their viral video
According to them, they are “saddened and appalled” at the reaction of everyone because what happened in the video was “gup shup” with the team. Talk about being out-of-touch!
In their statement, they continue to say that they, “are not required to prove or defend ourselves as kind employers. Our team has been with us for a decade, that should speak for itself”.
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The disgusting response just reeks of how disastrously incapable of empathy the owners of the restaurant are. This is the kind of behavior that reminds one of the early days of the French Revolution where the rich were taken to the guillotine for such statements and behavior.
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Cover image via: Express Tribune / Facebook