Joe Sciamanna wises up about an offensive wisecrack. The food truck merchant puts business above bodacious humor, though he sounds like a someone who got caught rather than someone who got sensitive.
The Dago Joe's menu fix is reported by Mitch Hotts of The Macomb Daily:
A popular Shelby Township food truck operator has removed a menu description referring to fried cheese sticks being “battered, like your wife” after realizing what was meant to be humorous is offensive to victims of domestic violence. . . .
"At first, I thought it was funny. But if it’s not good for business, I will take it off,” Sciamanna said, adding his wife [Jacqueline] thought it was humorous.
Among those not laughing is Suzanne Coats, a Mount Clemens domestic violence and sexual assault services agency head quoted by Hotts.
“It’s not a joke and it’s not funny,” Coats said. “I’m surprised and shocked that with all of the education and awareness campaigns going on that somebody would think it’s funny to joke about women being battered. It’s objectification.”
Coats said joking about domestic violence “trivializes the horrific site of so many battered women, which desensitizes the public to the problem."
HuffPost Detroit also has an update on this saga, with comments from Wayne State Professor Arlene Weisz, a partner abuse and sexual assault researcher.
Tuesday afternoon article:
With a name like Dago Joe's and slogans that include "a pasta sauce that doesn't suck," should we be surprised by a food truck owner's insensitive menu reference?
A recent visitor to the Clinton Township business' online truck menu is offended, according to WXYZ, by $4.49 cheese sticks described as "not just breaded, they're battered, like your wife."
She tipped the station, which follows up:
Reporter Ronnie Dahl caught up with the Dago Joe's food truck Tuesday afternoon near Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit.
Owner Joe Sciamanna explained the menu description, saying: "It was just a joke."
"We're not joking about battered women," he said. "We're just joking about the battered mozzarella sticks. . . . We're fun. We'd never condone anything like that."
The so-called jest was partly hidden behind paper on his truck when Dahl and her crew began taping, but remains online.
var p = new anv_pl_def(); p.config = {}; p.config.width = 640; p.config.height = 360; p.loadVideoExpressV3('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|1000011|SPS');
