I am not at all religious, theological, or myopically ethnic, but what I experienced at Restaurant Climato tonight forced me to "center" on who I am, and what place I have in the world. We put our name in for dinner personally, as Climato takes no reservations. One hour later my phone rang, letting us know our table was ready.
Immediately on entering Climato, a definitive chill was felt. A decidedly North African and Middle Eastern clientele and wait staff was evident, but it was no big deal to me. I have traveled to Morocco and Tunisia and loved my experience. Yet, the apparent aggressive tension took hold unexpectedly. The bartender was very cold, once we were seated at the bar. We were compelled to draw his attention, but he simply pointed to one of the female servers who took our order, but she hesitated at our choice of wine. She said the bartender was the wine expert, and he came over and begrudgingly suggested a wine. My wife and I sat back and waited for our meal.
The fish dishes were quite good, but nothing special, and the servers delivered our dishes in a timely manner. The bartender never gave us another look during our entire meal, and we were forced to pour our own wine.
At the end of our dinner, our dirty dishes sat in front of us for an inordinate amount of time. The bartender continued to ignore us. Finally, the Maitre D' came over and asked if we wanted dessert, while she removed our dishes. We did, and she took our order, but on her return from the kitchen engaged in a discussion with our bartender, who looked in our direction shaking his head. Finally, our meal was done and we asked for the "addition." The bartender ignored us, and the charming Maitre D' provided us with our bill. While my wife was deciphering the check, I walked to the back of the restaurant to use the bathroom. Some dude who worked in the kitchen was in the toilet room and decided to scream at me in French. Fortunately, I didn't understand a word, but flipped him the bird and chested him. I had enough of this B.S., and he saw it in my eyes and backed off. The entire meal and time at Climato was very uncomfortable.
I know Europe is currently overwhelmed by a myopic fear of immigration, and it has become ultra nationalistic and fearful. However, after World War II and the Holocaust, antisemitism has no place on the continent. I also realize that the existence of Israel and its policies may cause anger and resentment, but a person's nationality and choice of religion has no place within this resentment. My night at Climato was a reminder that we are far from a unified planet that accepts humanity on face value. Hopefully, in the coming years, we all can make this planet a better place for all of us. read more