"Hitler" news and stories

Like many urban hipsters of my generation, I have a weakness for artifacts that capture the boozy vibe of the WW II era, you know, cocktail shakers, Thin Man movies and the like. As such, I also have a soft spot for every kind of ephemera related to such nostalgia-soaked Tiki bars as Trader's Vic's.

Whilst trolling through boingboing I learned that Trader Vic Bergeron had more claim to fame than mixing up the first mai tai. Seems he also had a keen sense for timely political cartoons.

The boingboing poster says he spotted this image from a WW II era menu sign while visiting Hawaii. When I saw it, I could barely make it out. Let me assure you, upon magnification the cartoon depicts Mussolini as a jackass, Hitler as a skunk and Hirohito as a rattlesnake. The legend reads: "Due to these three Lousy Dirty Stinkers you're eating off paper instead of my grass mats." - Trader Vic, Oakland.

Promoting any agenda on a menu is uncalled for, even though the Trader was right. God knows it's better than shilling for toys.

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The owner of a restaurant in Mumbai has, in what appears to be a case of very poor judgment, opened a restaurant called Hitler's Cross. It is covered with large portraits of Hitler, as well as the red, white and black swastika of the Nazis. The owner claims that he simply wanted the restaurant to be memorable. "This is the one name that will say in [peoples'] minds," said owner Punit Shablok. "We are not promoting Hitler. But we want to tell people we are different in the way he was different."

"Different in the way he was different"? Does that mean that the restaurant owner wants to lead a fascist nation? That he is a Nazi? Or did Hitler have some previously unknown passion for "continental food" - presumably vegetaraian food, at that - served in small restaurants in India?

Needless to say, many people in the community (and in the rest of the world) are angry about the name choice, which is offensive to many. It remains to be seen whether public outcry will be strong enough for the restaurant to change its name. Both the owner and the manager have already expressed a desire to turn the restaurant into a chain.

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