Posted on 11/17/2016 1:36:43 PM PST by DJ Frisat
Sorry for the vanity, but...
Just received newsletter from Penzey's Spices owner Bill Penzey. We (used to) love the place and have a cabinet full of wonderful spices that delight our noses and our palates. We've been aware of his ideology in the past, and have been able to put it aside and continue to patronize his stores, both brick & mortar and online. But no more.
Here is an excerpt from the newsletter, wherein he seems to attempt to extinguish a previously-set fire with a can of gasoline. This guy needs to learn when to STFU...
"Racism Update: At Penzeys we believe it's not the use of tools that set us on a different path from the rest of the animal world; what has set humanity in motion is cooking. In our nearly a million years gathered together around the fire, cooking shaped our bodies and transformed our minds. Cooking unlocked our potential and gave birth to reason, to religion, and to politics and government. The kindness of tens of thousands of generations of cooks created our humanity, but racism, sexism, and homophobia can all very quickly unravel all the goodness cooking puts out into the world. As the voice of cooks, we will never sit idly by while that happens.You may have read Tuesday Night's email. In it I said: "The open embrace of racism by the Republican Party in this election is now unleashing a wave of ugliness unseen in this country for decades. The American people are taking notice. Let's commit to giving the people a better choice. Our kindness really is our strength."
Since I ask you to read my emails, I feel it's only right that I read each of your replies. In sifting through those replies it was clear that, though not intended, a good number of people seemed to sincerely believe that in my statement I was calling all Republicans racists. In the emails of those Republicans who voted for someone other than the party's nominee, I sensed genuine pain at having the strength of character to not go along with what was happening, but nonetheless be grouped in with those who were. I apologize for writing something that caused you pain; that is not the person I want to be. You are your party's future, and you deserve my admiration and respect, and your country's as well.
For the rest of you, you just voted for an openly racist candidate for the presidency of the United States of America. In your defense, most of you did so without thinking of the consequences of your candidate's racism, because for most of you the heartbreaking destruction racism causes has never been anything you or your loved ones have had to experience. But the thing is elections have their consequences. This is no longer sixty years ago. Whether any of us like it or not, for the next four years the 80% of this country who did not just vote for an openly racist candidate are going to treat you like you are the kind of person who would vote for an openly racist candidate.
You can get angry at everyone else for treating you like you just did the thing you just did, or you can take responsibility for your actions and begin to make amends. If you are lucky and younger family members are still coming over for Thanksgiving, before it's too late, take a moment and honestly think about how your actions must look through their eyes. Simply saying "I never thought he'd win" might be enough. But if you have the means, leaving a receipt from a sizable donation to the ACLU or the SPLC accidentally laying around where you carve the turkey, might go over even better.
Or, just do what you do best and volunteer. Through our customers' support, we've given away a lot of our Penzeys Pepper, the Pepper with heart. More often than not, those we meet cooking and serving food to feed those in need are Republicans. You really are a good bunch, but you just committed the biggest act of racism in American history since Wallace stood in the schoolhouse doorway 53 years ago. Make this right. Take ownership for what you have done and begin the pathway forward.
Thanks for reading,
Bill"
Bill Penzey email post stating that supporting Trump is supporting racism
Despite their product receiving excellent recommendations in taste comparisons from ATK , Cooks Country, and Milk Street
I will look for another purveyor of spices.
Bill should stick to spice trade and not venture into philosophy or politics ! I vote with my dollar, especially where it is appreciated .
Not just Trump, but all who voted for him.
Seems to me he set himself up for libel lawsuits.
Tone’s
http://www.tones.com/about
Thanks for the heads-up.
I always suspected he was a lefty from his news letter . But then the week before the election I got an email from him urging me to vote against racism , sexism , blah , blah . I sent him an email telling him to remove me from his email and mailing list . I got some sort of spam mail in return . Use the Spice Barn instead . They’re just as good if not better .
In the rec.food.cooking usenet group, Penzey’s has a divided following, even before this election. Generally, iirc, most people that patronize Penzey’s wait for the sales, and overlook its moonbatty founders.
True enough. Many $pices and herb$.
Looking for replacement stock....Colorado, Illinois, the emerald city (friscooooo)....
It will be a journey.
Cheers
KYPD
Check out the Spice Barn . That’s who I use .
Trader Joe is often a good bargain, as is waiting for the periodic sales on mainstream grocery spices. If it’s in a glass bottle with a well sealing cap it’s probably going to be good for a while.
Penzy’s recently opened a store in The Saint John’s Towne Center in Jacksonville, FL which is in NE Florida. This is mostly conservative territory. Would not surprise me if they have to shutter the doors within a year.
He's a smug, condescending jerk. I put Penzey's on my "never-buy" list along with Progressive Insurance and a bunch of others.
I never did buy from Penzy’s, but I had been considering it.
I will now be more likely to stick hot fireplace pokers in my eyes than to give these people one red cent.
Thanks for posting.
Never heard of this spice company
Oh nicely played
Oh, he means enforcing our nation's immigration laws. Got it.
Knowing this we shall never purchase anything from them again. Thanks for the post.
I, too, have used Penzey’s spices over the years and really liked their products and recommended them to others. I just unsubscribed to their newsletter and will stop purchasing from them as well.
Yes it is. It’s a chain. Went to the OP location once, had horrible customer service. Employees were relatives and did absolutely no work. They didn’t even greet us. We’ve never been back.
I order from Penzey’s quite often and I’ve often given their kits as gifts. No more. Thanks for the other suggestions!
This pains me. I really like Penzey’s products, but this crap makes me not want to do business with them anymore. Fortunately, there’s a nice locally owned spice store in my town.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.