“It sounds exciting,” said the chef Walter Manzke, who owns République in Los Angeles with his wife, Margarita. “She told me the other day that she wants to buy a Tesla, so I can tell you what side she’s on.”
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oof manzke why would you give that kind of comment…yikes
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Yeeesh way to put himself there, good luck republique 
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They may lose a few customers but let’s be real, République will be fine. I don’t think we should cancel chefs for their political beliefs* but I echo @mzonelli WHAT THE HECK was he thinking volunteering that statement!!! It was totally unprompted. He may be a great chef, but he’s proven himself to be an inept communicator and maybe even businessman.
I will say it’s not that shocking…Filipinos lean pretty heavily that way politically, at least according to my Filipino friends.
*There’s certainly a line beyond which I would cancel a chef for their beliefs - like just as a random example if a chef supported eliminating the civil rights act and reimplementing segregation.
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Perhaps he meant she is for low carbon footprint.
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Some of the recent EO are paving a certain way and if a chef supports these actions…
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the cancellations on yelp have commenced
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He can’t be this stupid/inexperienced/naive to believe that these statements in the current times wouldn’t be seen as a political statement/endorsement. There is a good chance that they will see quite a big negative impact on their restaurant and subsequent consequences
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That doesn’t seem like a non political statement to me. But if people stop frequenting Republique it will be easier to get the mango passionfruit pie.
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I know what you’re referring to, but I highly doubt the Manzkes know what you’re referring to. Which is to say, it’s a long leap from a comment about a car to say that necessarily means support for a very specific policy that while bad is not completely analogous to my comment.
Anyways, there’s a very clear solution to all of this. I own a Tesla that I would love to get rid of for the exact same (or is it opposite…I’m struggling with the directionality here) reasons of why Margarita wants to buy one. Pristine condition, <5k miles. I’ll call République and offer to trade it for 1,000 mango passion fruit pies which I will share with all the gluttons on here.
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In a time when every newspaper (even outside of the US) reports about declining sales from Tesla in blue states (and EU) and increased sales in red states and you see a sales show at the WH - they can’t be this ignorant
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They must have known the comment was a political statement. I believe Walter is lying* in that Instagram post claiming otherwise. I don’t think they know about the executive orders to which you refer. There’s just too much going on in the world to expect people to keep track of every executive order.
*It is solely my opinion that he’s lying, not a fact, don’t sue me I love your food, buy my car?
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Glass half empty view: …or they’ll stop making them.
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“It sounds exciting,” said the chef Walter Manzke, who owns République in Los Angeles with his wife, Margarita. “She told me the other day that she wants to buy a Tesla, so I can tell you what side she’s on.”
I read that as jokingly suggesting that she’s a Trump and/or Musk fan and he isn’t.
And getting a consulting contract from a rich nitwit who knows nothing about the restaurant business would probably be exciting. For that matter, so would getting firebombed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodLosAngeles/s/md3bF1rmbA
Top of foodla Reddit.
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I am sometimes stunned at the political illiteracy levels in the US compared to for example Europe but to be honest and I don’t think ignorance is an excuse for stupidity.
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Hmm, I read his comments far more innocuously… like, you asked whether you’d be interested in partnering with Tesla on a restaurant concept and your wife said she wants to buy a Tesla, so the “side” she’s on is she would be open to partnering with Tesla.
I say this as someone who voted Democrat but tries very hard to understand the other side… I have very little tolerance for wealthy people who in their endless greed and quest for power choose to side with Trump, but am far more understanding of why everyday Americans may vote for Trump. But irrespective of this view, I’m not even sure his comment was meant to be political.
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Why am I not surprised that you are a Trump voter (with little respect for laws)
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