This is a poll about possibly irrational gut reactions, and acting on them or not.
I’m about to go on a road trip. My first planned stop is Savannah, Il. It’s right along the east bank of the Mississippi, a little more than 2 hours out, and I decided I would stop there for breakfast/lunch. I Googled it.
And I found the #1 rated restaurant, named Kountry Kettle. And my very first thought was, “Hmmm … redneck country … KK…? Is the owner is some kind of white supremacist, with a thinly disguised business name to keep away the undesirables?”
My second thought was, “That’s pretty fuckin’ out there. And I have absolutely no evidence, besides a gut reaction, which is no evidence at all, that it’s that kind of place.”
A bit of further poking around on the web revealed nothing I didn’t already know, which is that a dozen or so Yelp reviewers claimed it was a good restaurant.
So I’m still going to go there because it doesn’t seem fair to the business for me to … boycott if for a day.
How crazy am I?
I’ll probably leaving within an hour. I might have an opportunity to do my first ever post to the Dope on a phone. If I see a place full of 80 year old white guys wearing bib overalls, confederate flag hats, and chewing, er, chaw? … I’ll let you know.
I know the previous owner of a reastrant in Wisconsin named Kueals Kountry Kitchen. (that first name isn’t quite right, but it’s something like that. I don’t know if it’s still open. ) I was horrified on a couple of levels, but she’s one of the nicest people I know, and no signs of racism. Still, pretty bad name, right?
The only think they are guilty of is poor spelling. Intentionally misspelling words that should start with a ‘C’ is just a cutesy way of trying to portray down-hominess. There are thousands of examples based around that theme all over the country (kountry) and this is just an example of one.
We had a couple of places around us that started with KK intentionally, and it wasn’t anything special. It was people or companies who thought that using K instead of C was more country. Maybe it reminded them of Kentucky or something. But there was no other meaning.
Yeah, there’s lots of that everywhere (Kwik Kopy, anyone?) and I’ve never even heard a wisp of it being associated with white supremacy. I think some just see it as cutesy alliteration and nothing more.
Dont just worry about the resurgence of the KKK–there are other dangerous groups out there, too.
Have you paid attention to the heavy trucks you pass on the highway?
The word “Heil” is prominently painted on many parts of the truck.
Yes —it’s true!–just pay attention, and you’ll see it.
This is a pretty obvious codeword, and it’s everywhere. You can be sure this is a sign of widespread support for the neo-nazi underground.
Or maybe it’s because there is a company named Heil in Wisconsin that makes heavy trucks.
Sometimes, ya know, a cigar is just a cigar.
Being afraid of a “Kountry Kitchen” full of working-class white men is , well, …a problem certain liberals suffer from.
Here’s how to solve the problem: stop in, sit at the counter, and order a big hearty breakfast And , while you eat your biscuits and gravy, instead of complaining that the menu doesnt have any quinoa and tofu…try talking to the folks around you.
I’ve seen such nauseating spellings in the Midwest, with no accompanying Confederate flags, waiters in white-hooded outfits or other accoutrements that might signify a dubious racial orientation.
Use of “K” instead of “C” in this context is about as racist as a place offering “sweet tea” on the menu (which is also nauseating).
Oh, and while it may not be on your route, don’t miss a chance to stop off in Hurley, Virginia (a real down-home place).
There’s a restaurant in my town called Kountry Kitchen. I know the owners, and they were just being cutesy. The owners of Kountry Kettle probably had the same idea.
It’s nothing to worry about. Kountry Kettle is simply a funny way of spelling it. It’s not unlike places in the Smokies or others in the South that might still use the Barney Google sort of hillbilly as a mascot. It don’t mean nuthin’ other than they’s tryin’ to be cute…kind of like a Cracker Barrel type of thing. Or the old defunct Po’ Folks restaurant.
The poll is goofy and I’ll skip it. The KK name would raise my eyebrows a bit but I’d give the benefit of the doubt and assume it was the proprietor’s idea of country charm.
There’s also a microphone company called Heil Sound.
I know this woman who thought it would be a good idea to name her cake shop KKK Katie’s. To be read as “cake, cake, cake.” Her name wasn’t even Katie…everybody talked her out of it. She just had no idea. I know there is a song, but AFAIK it is more “kuh kuh kuh” than “kay kay kay.”
