For dining establishments that specialise in foreign cuisines, it’s not unusual to feature elements from another country in presentation and marketing materials.
An Italian restaurant in Singapore, Gotti Italiano, has seemingly gone too far when promoting an event.
Recently, the Italian Ambassador to Singapore called out the establishment for incorporating Mafia elements in its promotion materials for a dance event.
Source: Google Maps
Calling it “of a dubious taste”, the Ambassador pointed out that people had suffered — and continue to do so — as a result of the the Italian Mafia.
On Friday (8 March), Mr Dante Brandi — Ambassador of Italy to Singapore — penned a Facebook post responding to the event.
Source: Facebook
Mr Brandi attached a Facebook post by Gotti SG — an Italian eatery located at Ann Siang Hill — promoting its “Hip Hop Mafioso” event. The Facebook post is no longer available at the time of writing.
Source: Facebook
The Ambassador did not hold back with his criticism, pointing out that the Mafia is not something that his country is proud of.
He added that people had died and suffered as a result of the Mafia’s influence.
Crucially, Mr Brandi said that people are still dying and suffering while fighting the Mafia.
Mr Brandi also slammed the establishment for naming itself after an infamous criminal family and “catching clients” with an event named “Hip Hop Mafioso”.
The ambassador said the references were “of a dubious taste” even though they may not be against the law.
Mr Brandi then cited a quote by Italian judge Giovanni Falcone: “The Italian Mafia is not the most dangerous one in the world, but is certainly the one with the vastest literature.”
The Italian Ambassador to Singapore then expressed his belief that the world should be spared from “additional literature” about the Italian Mafia.
In response to MS News’ queries, Gotti SG said that “Hip Hop Mafioso” was supposed to be a “speciality event featuring hip-hop music”.
Upon learning of Mr Dante’s post, the restaurant said it took “immediate action” to remove all marketing communications associated with the event.
The restaurant added that it has since responded to Mr Dante and emphasised that there was “no mention of any Mafia personnel or related culture at the event”.
As per the marketing material, the event took place yesterday (8 March).
Moving forward, the restaurant assured that it will thoroughly review the names of all future events and themes to ensure they are respectful and in line with cultural sensitivities.
Gotti SG said that it remains committed to honouring Italian culture and history in “every aspect of their (our) business”.
Also read: ComfortDelGro Apologises For ‘Z’ Logo Resembling Russian War Symbol, Will Consider New Design
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Facebook.
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