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Letters: Ordering 'wit' or 'witout' English

ISSUE | CULTURAL TOLERANCE Ordering 'wit' or 'witout' English The late cheesesteak purveyor, Joey Vento, was proud of the popularity that resulted from his sign, "This is America. When ordering please 'speak English' " ("The signs, they are a-changin'," Friday). It is ironic that the very people

In 2006, Joey Vento, the owner of Geno's Steaks, with the sign, "This is America. When ordering, speak English." Vento, who died in 2011, argued that his sign was a political statement and welcomed the notoriety it brought.
In 2006, Joey Vento, the owner of Geno's Steaks, with the sign, "This is America. When ordering, speak English." Vento, who died in 2011, argued that his sign was a political statement and welcomed the notoriety it brought.Read moreStaff File Photo
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ISSUE | CULTURAL TOLERANCE

Ordering 'wit' or 'witout' English

The late cheesesteak purveyor, Joey Vento, was proud of the popularity that resulted from his sign, "This is America. When ordering please 'speak English' " ("The signs, they are a-changin'," Friday). It is ironic that the very people for whom his sign was intended were unable to read it. I would rather have seen a sign instructing customers how to say "Wiz wit" in the non-English languages that Philadelphians speak.

|John Bryer, Downingtown, jbbryer@gmail.com

Not lost in translation

Geno's "speak English" sign was as pointless as it was tasteless. There is no more a Spanish word for cheesesteak as there is an English word for burrito.

|Richard Land, Lansdale