NEW NEPO BABY HAS ENTERED THE CHAT
An American Service Worker Who Hates Europeans, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'
Every day somebody says or does something that earns them the scorn of the internet. Here at Digg, as part of our mission to curate what the internet is talking about right now, we rounded up the main characters on Twitter from this past week and held them accountable for their actions.
Each day on twitter there is one main character. The goal is to never be it
— maple cocaine (@maplecocaine) January 3, 2019
This week’s characters include a new nepo baby, a chef who thinks spicing things means "gentrifying," Vogue magazine with an absurd take and an American service worker brave enough to fight the Europeans because of their tipping habits.
Wednesday
Eric Rivera
The character: Eric Rivera, food hustler, needs to read the dictionary
The plot: Eric Rivera, a pop-up chef according to his bio, used the word gentrify to chide Bon Appétit's Food Editor Kendra Vaculin for using za'atar to spice up saltine crackers. It's hard to understand what got Rivera so worked up. Bon Appétit as an institution have made plenty of mistakes in the past, but saying someone is "gentrifying saltine crackers" with za'atar is a bit extra.
never in my life did I ever expect anyone to gentrify saltine crackers but here we are from an expected source. bon appetit pic.twitter.com/x737akxzvS
— eric rivera (@ericriveracooks) March 22, 2023
It's unfortunate that Rivera, who was mostly an unknown identity before this, got piled on for using the word gentrify in this context — but it just doesn't fit. No matter how you look at it. Also turns out that Rivera himself is a bit of an expert in the matter, as people found out that he runs a shop that sells expensive sauces. What's that old saying, the outrage economy always sells? It's not. I just made that up, but you get the point.
The repercussion: When you make fun of someone on Twitter, make sure there aren't any clown skeletons in your closet. The people will find them.
MFW you give me saltine crackers that haven’t been gentrified yet https://t.co/0OOr4kf9IX pic.twitter.com/bj0kFw3Hig
— Cigs for Pirates (@UsingCigarettes) March 23, 2023
You look like if King Buzzo taught at the New School https://t.co/3s1X0KE49j
— da hootie hoo man (@GarlicCorgi) March 23, 2023
do any of actually you know what gentrification is or is it just another word you use to feel superior and less small for one moment https://t.co/sg8JrQHVPy
— rob 🇩🇴 (@lmNOTcatholic) March 23, 2023
sorry to join in on making this guy the main character of twitter today or whatever but i’m interested to know what his definition of Gentrification is that it includes seasoning crackers but not a Seattle-based pop-up restaurant chef opening a private dinner club in Raleigh, NC https://t.co/n2gMhJ2kfa pic.twitter.com/D3zxqrYBfN
— ape attack survivor (@pissvortex) March 23, 2023
i think he was trying to say the lady is "gently frying" the crackers https://t.co/PcPecVUGWB
— jos (@josiahhughes) March 23, 2023
"They're gentrifying crackers!" screamed the pop-up restaurant chef with a private dinner club... https://t.co/oh8GKtaWeu pic.twitter.com/B56AwE3aJk
— pookie (@_pookers) March 23, 2023
wow did not realise the manufacturer Nabisco from New Jersey was a culture worth protecting from the scourge of big za’atar https://t.co/I4gCVsTV2z
— Arun Indika (@ArunIndika) March 23, 2023
Reducing gentrification to an aesthetic rather than an economic process of household displacement is so damn annoying. https://t.co/PmVsnjVykh
— Darrell Owens (@IDoTheThinking) March 23, 2023
I would contend that a term that applies equally to "poor people getting priced out of their apartments" and "sprucing up some saltine crackers" is kind of useless at this point. https://t.co/RkOTIp9DEu
— M. Nolan Gray (@mnolangray) March 23, 2023
oh is it gentrification? did they gaslight you too? is this so toxic and abusive? maybe they have adhd and this is a trauma response did you ever think of that? https://t.co/VsKNFEmvep
— brecht apologist (@madison_tayt) March 23, 2023
Adwait Patil
Wednesday
Vogue Magazine
The character: Vogue Magazine, big fan of arms.
The plot: Arms. You know, the things attached to your shoulder socket that has the elbows and hands. You might be using them right now, in fact! Vogue Magazine, a historic and iconic media entity, had the bravery and courage to ask the most important question facing civilization and society right now:
Are arms the new legs? https://t.co/5tjplsWbwx
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) March 22, 2023
The repercussion: Are arms the new legs? Are they? Why won’t anyone tell me? This goofy premise and question instantly became the butt of the joke. Or, the armpit of the joke, I guess.
“are arms the new legs?” pic.twitter.com/2l0Zdd64hd
— alex (@alex_abads) March 23, 2023
“are arms the new legs?” pic.twitter.com/C1tr51u2Xs
— alex (@alex_abads) March 23, 2023
i’ve been saying “arms are the new legs” for the last 2 years but nobody wants to listen to a black woman
— sarah hagi (@KindaHagi) March 22, 2023
"Are arms the new legs?"
— Ian Boudreau (@iboudreau) March 23, 2023
Yes, stfu pic.twitter.com/Nxbu0J1d2z
Are arms the new legs? Are toes the new fingers? Are eyebrows the new mustaches?
— Josh Spiegel (@mousterpiece) March 23, 2023
Are arms the new legs? Is butt the new elbow? Is hair the new neck??????????? https://t.co/cFn2yut4dd
— amy wood (@amy_wood) March 22, 2023
arms are the new legs??? Did u hear about this tweet from 7 hours ago pic.twitter.com/xo2vhjloyo
— tyler (@getbentkid) March 22, 2023
Jared Russo
Tuesday
Romy Croquet Mars
The character: Romy Croquet Mars, auteur baby, one hit wonder
The plot: Romy Croquet Mars is the child of Sofia Coppola and Thomas Mars. Her parents are both quite famous (mom loves making movies and dad is one of France's coolest rockers), so it makes sense when they wouldn't want Romy to document her life on social media apps like TikTok. However, a clip of Romy did make its way to the Internet, and a star was born.
this tiktok of sofia coppola’s daughter… this means so much to me pic.twitter.com/6AQtWNhAgG
— savannah bradley ~* (@savbrads) March 21, 2023
There are way too many layers to this, and to fully understand what's going on here I reckon it'd take experts weeks, if not months, to fully comprehend what we've witnessed. Is this an audition tape, or a cry for help — I don't know.
The repercussion: What did happen though is that Romy Mars now has one of the most hard-hitting pop cultural debuts, and a follow-up, (she did end by teasing a part two, but the video has since been deleted) will be judged to the highest of standards, by the harshest of critics. This one received love, and obviously a quick blog cycle.
Francis Ford Coppola: The Godfather
— Noelle (@NoelleFaen) March 21, 2023
Sofia Coppola: Marie Antoinette
Romy Coppola Mars: Make a vodka sauce pasta with me because I'm grounded for trying to charter a helicopter using my dad's credit card and visit my friend
The Coppola dynasty continues to produce greatness https://t.co/0SmXlFqeNp
obsessed with her choosing to show her dad’s grammy instead of her mom’s oscar https://t.co/c4Bzv17BCD
— jihane (@jihanebousfiha_) March 21, 2023
the way I would not be talking about phoenix if my grandfather directed the godfather
— cassidy xcx (@olsencassidy) March 22, 2023
If I had one criticism it would be that the supporting cast of Ari and “camp friend” felt underwritten. Nevertheless, I think we have an early contender for Oscars 2024.
— Weird Bristol (@WeirdBristol) March 22, 2023
Meadow Soprano walked so Sofia Coppola’s daughter could run https://t.co/WVetAfGzHh pic.twitter.com/ct5yiik3fA
— Sopranos World (@SopranosWorld) March 22, 2023
Sofia Coppola finding out about this Tik Tock video: https://t.co/IMEECUb03g pic.twitter.com/ZT6ZaKifTP
— BLACK LIVES MATTER (@willowhalliwell) March 22, 2023
— Lady Gaia (@gaiapassarelli) March 21, 2023
it has dramatic tension, excellent scene-setting, good evocative props that indicate emotions (onions = tears) shocking family revelations, slapstick comedy, great dialogue...you're right
— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) March 21, 2023
Adwait Patil
Sunday
@madison_tayt
The character: @madison_tayt, US service worker, hater of Europeans
The plot: There are a lot of differences between the US and Europe, but one of the things that apparently divides them the most is tipping. This tweet by @madison_tayt on Monday, in which she complains about a table of Europeans tipping her $70 on a $700 check, highlights how vastly different Americans’ and Europeans’ stances are on the appropriate amount to tip waiting staff.
lmao i fucking hate europeans sometimes on god. this table just left $70 on a $700 check after chilling for HOURS. my manager even asked about their service and they were OVER THE MOON about my service so he explained the customary tip is 20% and they were like “ok.” and left
— brecht apologist (@madison_tayt) March 20, 2023
The repercussion: In the US, a standard tip is 20 percent — whereas in somewhere like the UK, it falls between 10 and 15 percent. Responses to the above tweet are a mix of Americans sharing the OP’s outrage at Europeans’ perceived stinginess, Europeans saying a 20 percent tip is unreasonably high, and people arguing that US service workers should be paid a wage decent enough that they don’t have to rely on tips to make a living.
they are basically the worst customers
— bennett (@ImagineAGuy) March 20, 2023
This American tipping culture has got to end they've gotta pay you guys an actual wage you shouldn't put up with this
— Jack Fifield (@jackfifield) March 21, 2023
Europeans aren't used to tipping because servers are generally paid well. Blame the terrible late stage capitalism of the US, not patrons from other countries
— Sarah Nadav (@sarahnadav) March 21, 2023
if you don't like our horrible tipping system I completely understand that and agree that the burden ought to be on the restaurant owners but if you're not willing to participate then you should not go to a table service restaurant while you are visiting these united states https://t.co/bAak7wgvjO
— Sam 💭 (@samthielman) March 21, 2023
Your beef should be with your boss and your country's outdated, nonsensical tipping system.
— ben (@bencsin) March 21, 2023
Tipping doesn't exist anywhere else. To get mad at visitors is you being petty.
Also sitting 90 mins vs 50 mins didn't really add that much to your work. Calm down
Yeah, it isn't easy visiting a place where earning a decent living requires tipping. We are used to having everything included in the price rather than this weird voluntary-but-not-really system. I always ask.
— Frederik Vanhoutte - Winterbloed (@wblut) March 21, 2023
20% default is ridiiculous, unionize ffs.
I think it’s clinically insane actually that American’s think this way about tips as a server and don’t direct their anger towards the corporations paying them dust. No one in any other industry expects a 20% tip for literally doing their job description https://t.co/ULfUj3gJJ1
— clo 🐰🤎 (@chloehenryxxo) March 21, 2023
only americans would complain about a 70$ tip
— Tarik (@td2411) March 20, 2023
americans when they find out their employers are supposed to pay them not the customers https://t.co/el0E1zUfd3 pic.twitter.com/T6ppoAbL2f
— 🎸 (@exitmvsic) March 21, 2023
European who lived in the States... tipping culture exists in Europe but the staff make a decent living wage - which is how it should be in the US. Either way, follow the customs of the place you're in when it comes to tipping - doing otherwise just punishes the wait staff.
— Harriet Sinclair (@Sinclair_H) March 21, 2023
this rage is so misdirected
— Laura Purkess (@laurapurkess) March 21, 2023
Americans when the customers don’t pay their whole rent in one night https://t.co/O3GKuphaeH pic.twitter.com/lJaHWIqUG0
— Sephirate is a pirate⁷ (@persona_kth) March 22, 2023
Your wage is the problem here.
— Divina De Campo stream DECODED (@Divinadecampo) March 21, 2023
If you are relying on tips to earn enough money your employer is exploiting you.
They are not relying on the generosity of strangers to run their business.
I'd be grateful if someone left me a $70 tip. Just cuz someone spent more money doesn't mean they have to tip more and you shouldn't expect it. If you was waiting on someone with a $40 check and give you a $5 tip would you be upset? Maybe $70 tip was for your attitude 🤔
— John Maguire (@MaguireTheOne) March 21, 2023
servers need to start complaining about their employers than the customers — it’s not on the customer to pay your wages because your employer doesn’t want to.
— Samuel Carvalho (@SamCarvalho) March 22, 2023
nobody else in the world does it like this and pays their staff a fair wage that they don’t depend on tips
I google the tipping culture of every country I visit. I even learned that in Morocco and Egypt tipping is very much assumed and expected for any type of service.
— Nicole Phillip (@ncolphillip) March 21, 2023
People need to google customs and act accordingly, not blame the country for not being like their own.
Europeans in the comments who just used a 10 seat table for almost 4 hours https://t.co/5AXK5bgAZQ pic.twitter.com/xSORATGhG0
— [email protected] (@ExileGrimm) March 21, 2023
Darcy Jimenez
———
Read the previous edition of our One Main Character column, which included a guy who thinks women shouldn't wear yoga pants to the gym, a journalist with a hot take on Meg White's drumming, another hot take on an Oscar-winning film and Ben Shapiro (ugh).
Did we miss a main character from this week? Please send tips to [email protected].