VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT’S STEAK DINNER CAUSES OUTRAGE.
Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, has drawn opprobrium over a video showing him being served slabs of prime steak by a celebrity chef in Istanbul at a time when food shortages are inflicting misery and malnutrition on millions at home.
THE BANQUET
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, were accused of spending public money on a banquet after the chef, Nusret Gokce, also known as “Salt Bae”, posted Instagram videos of their visit to his restaurant, NusrEt, in Turkey. In one clip, the couple are seen looking on admiringly as Gokce theatrically carves meat at their table. “This is a once-in-alifetime moment,” Maduro can be heard remarking. Other footage shows Maduro puffing on a cigar offered to him from a box bearing his name.
SCARCE PROTEIN
The videos, later taken down, stirred anger in Venezuela amid a humanitarian crisis that has forced millions to leave the country. Hyperinflation and food shortages have led to record levels of child malnutrition. The average Venezuelan has lost 22 pounds in the past year and many have resorted to rifling through garbage bins in search of food. Protein is scarce as prices continue to soar and red meat is virtually non-existent.
‘THESE DEGENERATES’
Julio Borges, the opposition leader in exile in Colombia, said: “While Venezuelans suffer and die of hunger, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores have a good time in one of the most expensive restaurants in the world, with money stolen from the Venezuelan people.” Juan Pablo Garcia, another parliamentarian, raged: “These degenerates enjoy themselves on stolen money. They will pay!”
TOMAHAWK STEAK
Gokce owns a number of restaurants in the U.S., Turkey and the Middle East, where some cuts of meat cost several hundred dollars. According to the Miami Herald, his signature Tomahawk steak, which Gokce comes out to serve personally, costs almost $350. The chef, too, has received an online backlash. It is not the first time he has stirred controversy: shortly after he opened his Miami restaurant last year, a video of him posing with beret and cigar by a portrait of Fidel Castro enraged many local Cuban-Americans.
THE NUMBERS $25
Venezuelan minimum monthly wage.
61
Percentage of Venezuelan population classified as living in extreme poverty.
89
Percentage of Venezuelans who say they cannot afford enough food to feed their household.