Culinary no-no began on Father’s Day 2007, a beautiful summer day, when I wrote about grilling brats. And eating brats. And topping those brats. I was inspired by my wife, Jennifer who, in my admittedly unscientific opinion, ruins brats by squirting ketchup on them. Other dining taboos quickly came to mind. The original idea was to take this concept only a few months, till the end of summer and then pull the plug. Then the unexpected happened. People started reading Culinary no-no. Lots of folks. So we keep doing the no-no.

Have you dined at Milwaukee’s Odd Duck restaurant, now located in the Walker’s Point neighborhood?

I’ve not, but have heard it’s impressive.

Carol Deptolla provided this rather uninspiring delivery on a video review back in 2012 when Odd Duck was on the east side’s south of Milwaukee, Bay View:

When a print journalist attempts to do radio. Borrrrrring.

Odd Duck is definitely adventurous. Good for them. But regular readers know this probably isn’t going to work out well. And Odd Duck is not alone in my no-no this week.

Did you catch that?

From the WISN transcript:

BUCHHOLZ SAYS SHE RESPECTS CUSTOMERS WHO MAY CHOOSE TO STAY AWAY BECAUSE OF THE VACCINE REQUIREMENT, BUT HOPES THEY UNDERSTAND.

“WE’RE NOT FORCING YOU TO. WE’RE JUST SAYING, RIGHT NOW, WE CAN’T SAFELY SERVE YOU.”

Can’t safely serve you, or don’t want to?

I have to laugh at Buchholz and these other punitive restaurant owners, clearly Leftists, and their fake sentimentality. Cheerfully they pose with phony facades of do-gooders only to then resort to excessive restrictions a la 1930’s/40’s Germany, unnecessary given the lack of city or state anti-restaurant mandates.

The motivation? I believe the let’s get tough attack on the unvaxxed is political. Buchholz, Odd Duck and any other restaurants that would play hardball on who dare grace their precious dinner tables are merely participants in the current war against the unvaxxed. Show us your cards, your records, is clearly an effort to exclude the unvaccinated from public life.

They have already been exposed to plenty of dire warnings about the virus, and are unlikely to be receptive to the admonitions of an administration they have already ignored.

The ridiculous justification by restaurant owners seen in phony TV interviews like the one above with usually tough Kent Wainscott is that the severity of the Covid crisis required more drastic measures. But here’s a really simple thought that the Buchholz’s of the world refuse to or just don’t understand. Think now, 2022. Do these ultra restrictions actually work? God question as Omicron has brought cases to unprecedented levels in cities like New York, that bastion of liberalism,  where both vaccine passports and mask mandates are in effect.

Consider this. Mandates are often difficult to enforce and generate backlashes, and thus may prove counterproductive. But they may remain in force, despite failing to achieve their objectives, because they demonstrate a moral commitment to a desired aim. Get it. A desired aim. Wwhen mandates fail to achieve the desired results, it is the fault of those who don’t follow the rules, like the unvaxxed, not those who imposed them.

Of course they’ll deny it. But restaurant owners who want to antagonize the unvaxxed are willful puppets in the war against those who believe in medical freedom.

Michael Reagan, son of Ronald, recently wrote:

The vaxxed are the good people and the unvaccinated have become Public Health Enemy Number One. They are the bad, selfish and presumably Trump-leaning Americans who are preventing our total victory over covid.

It’s as if some people who have taken the covid shots carry a cross around with them and when they see someone unvaxxed they bring it out like they’ve encountered Dracula.

If only every unvaxxed person in America would give up their bodies and get the jab (or two) – even if they don’t need it or want it – they’d make Fauci, President Biden and the East Coast media nannies very happy.

Then, our leaders promise us, the threat from COVID-19 and its variants would disappear and all our lives could return to “normal” – whatever it is going to look like when we’re all still forced to wear masks and show our vax passports everywhere we go.

I don’t blame the unvaxxed for the continuing pandemic. As I tweeted the other day, I don’t care whether someone is vaxxed like I am or not.

I don’t hate them, either. I realize I’ve hugged, shook hands and eaten dinner with dozens of people who haven’t been jabbed.

People tell me, “You could die.”

Yeah. I’m 76. I could die of a lot of stuff. But I stay healthy. I take all my meds.

About 1,100 Americans are still dying every day despite the fact that we’ve had vaccines for almost a year and we’ve done everything Fauci, government experts and politicians have ordered us to do.

Unfortunately, nothing they did worked to stop the pandemic.

First we were told we had to flatten the curve for a few weeks ….

Oops.

Then we were told we had to “shelter in place” in our basements for six months ….

Oops.

Then if you wore a mask indoors and outdoors – and while you played sports …

Oops.

Then if you got the vaccine, you’d never have to worry …

Oops.

Then if you get a booster – or two – you’ll really be protected ….

Oops.

Buchholz and others don’t get it, have been Fauci-ized, and are blind sheep.

Buchholz says she doesn’t care if people don’t want to patronize Odd Duck. Don’t like it? Eat somewhere else. What an absolutely bizarre and stupid way to run a business. Hey Melissa Buchholz…see ya.

Finally, just yesterday (Saturday) this interestingly was posted on the Odd Duck Facebook page:

Hello
.-Hi, table for two, please.
-Sure, and your name.
-Cody.
-Great. And do you and your guest have your vaccination cards?
-Hmmm well first..Can you tell us who our server will be?
-Um, looks like Brad will be your server tonight.
-Great. Can you show us Brad’s vaccination card?
-Um…
-And also, can you provide me with proof that Brad is not a carrier of HIV, Hepatitis A or B, or any other communicable diseases? Same for you and the kitchen staff.
-Um…
-Also, we would prefer not to be served by someone who is on or uses recreational drugs such as cocaine, meth, fentanyl, etc, so if you could provide us with Brad’s most recent tox screen, that would be great. Matter of fact, I need to see all of your employees medical history
-Um… Let me get the manager for you.
-That would be great, thanks. Make sure they have their vax card and medical records please.
Start standing your ground.

Amen.

CULINARY NO-NO BONUSES

UPDATE: Culinary no-no #18

Culinary no-no: Most Popular of 2021

Culinary no-no #721