Deleting social media is free!
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heās treating the basturma sandwich as the armenian equivalent to the quran.
From a wider perspective as someone who does not know him or even tried this sandwich, I can have a lot of empathy. I think the current state of who has a wide reach on the internet makes the ground restaurants stand on very shaky. Couple that with the fact that it hurts when someone criticizes your passion, and we are human and overreact sometimes.
I usually do not talk with chefs before writing an article, but sometimes I get notes after I publish pouring out how thankful they are. My reach in Los Angeles is very niche, and I have no power to change a restaurantās fate, but I can tell from their tone how difficult it is to navigate everything. The simple act of someone coming into eat and understand their food, pay for it, and write something positive means a lot in a world full of viral influencers who are using them to advance themselves.
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On one end - I think the airing of this drama on social media is obviously dumb.
On the other - I get it. People have constant conversations about the value of food and often food that is from certain cultures gets put into the bucket of āthis is supposed to be cheapā and having food influencers record in their car and just say nothing criticisms like āits mid/overrated/overhypedā when youāre trying to make your business work and no one would complain about 42$ a pound brisket from a Texas bbq joint. Iām sure itās just the 50th influencer that broke the camelās back.
So maybe give the guy a break.
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he is not just expressing hurt about peopleās comments. he is characterizing the internet criticism of his sandwich as an attack on the heart of the armenian people, using rageful language.
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Not everyone is a media trained food personality. Iām not excusing āRageful languageā but it hardly feels worth clutching your pearls about. It must hurt to have people say your food has less inherent value when you think that food is a representation of your culture. Like I said I donāt think the behavior is great but I understand where itās coming from
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but Yerord Mas isnāt selling meat by the pound. Heās selling a sandwich. Thereās tons of complaints about the $30 sandwiches from Langers and Matu Cheesesteak. Call it big, call it 2 servings, call it whatever, heās still calling it a sandwich and itās going to be judged by that.
/edit
I guess its technically referred to as a pita but point remains.
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Unsure what your argument is. Historically people value āethnicā foods less. The pita part of it and the word ābasturmaā vs the word ācheesesteakā might be exactly my point?
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Sorry to derail but I was hoping to see you post your quadrennial world cup coverage are you still doing that?
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If the $38 sandwich was as Bill Addison said enough for two, why didnāt he make it half the size for $25?
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the guy is bad at business and should sell a high tier sando for the high tier market price of $25-$30.
the market is trying to speak to him and instead of listening he is crashing out.
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Wasnāt that Cousteau?
While Iām not totally social-media free, I think this is the way (seriously).
Back to the topic. 
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It seems it was selling just fine judging by how many times it was sold out.
Iām not following pastrami futures on the daily but Iāve found that listening to what most influencers think is the true value of food is not sustainable for restaurants and has led to the closure of many places I like.
again this guy could be totally wrong, and be crashing out on social media in a way I find yucky, but Iām saying I understand the way influencer culture and society treats the perceived value of ethnic foods and how it can affect the mental health of someone who is a member of one of those cultures and working in the food industry and I think we should all be a little more empathetic and not make false equivalencies 
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edit - Iām moving on, good luck to Yerord Mas.
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Wouldnāt charging $38 for a sandwich (outside of maybe Beverly Hills or Erewhon) draw social media negativity even if it was Jewish deli or BBQ brisket rather than Armenian?
It was only #2 on this guyās list of most expensive sandwiches in LA, and unlike #1 (Artās Super Reuben) he thought it was worth the money.
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I think it indeed could.
I do find the chef/ownerās breakdown sad on many levels (moreso b/c I assume lots of people in LAās food industry are feeling a similar level of complete exhaustion and burn out). But I also wonder if people were literally saying, āF*ck your traditionsā (although, sadly, I can picture people saying that nowadays).
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I just donāt like how this guy dumbs it down to āits just pastrami, bread, pickles & spread, is that worth $40?ā
Obviously it is to enough people if itās selling out. Every dish can be made to sound cheap or easy to make for the relative costs restaurants charge. Seiās small marinara pizza at $24? Itās just dough, tomato sauce, some garnish, and salt. Morihiros sushi? Itās just raw fish on top of rice. Pro NBA basketball? Itās just a bunch of guys dribbling an inflatable ball. Professional pilots? They donāt do anything other than move a yoke and push some buttons. Cāmonā¦I hate āfood influencersā, hate the fact that thatās even a thing, and hate the fact that people actually follow them when they have never stepped foot inside a kitchen. Thereās a reason sports commentators or analysts were once professional players, itās because they understand wtf theyāre looking at and can comment on what they see with solid knowledge that most people only think they have.
Opinions are like ***holes, everyone has one. Doesnāt mean youāre right or thatās its a good opinion. I think the thing I hate most about these influencers is what @EattheWorldLA mentioned; they are doing this to advance themselves. They donāt do anyone any good (especially the restaurants and owners) when theyāre talking shit or saying something isnāt worth it.
/end rant
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