Bonjour!  Just so you know, I have no opinions to express in this post here.  Just the fact’s ma’am, letting you know about a French dude,  a food cart, and a deportation, all in the Mission district.  Perhaps you have already read the some background on the tale here on Mission Mission.

The Amuse Bouche newsletter included a note from Murat’s wife today:

Dear Friends,

It is now final: Murat will be leaving the country on Thursday, November 12th. Our request for deferred action was denied, and even though we filed our green card application it did not bring about a reversal in ICE’s decision to deport him. Murat and I considered delaying the process further to see if he could make his way in front of a judge but decided that the disadvantages (mostly his continuing internment and the suffering it has caused to ourselves and our families) is not worth the gamble. So, I bought his plane ticket today.

As you might imagine we are filled with mixed emotions. It is a shame that Murat is being treated like a criminal and that the life we have built in San Francisco is coming to such an abrupt end. At the same time, we are infinitely glad that he will have his freedom back and that our families, and a whole new life awaits us in France. We are also very thankful for ALL the love and support you have shown us during this difficult time. I will never forget the t-shirts, the good wishes, the many many offers of legal, financial and emotional assistance. I know that once Murat is back in France and reads all of his emails he will have things to say of his own, so I am leaving it at that.

Love and blessings to you all,

Pelin Celebi-Ariner

Take that as you will.  I’m not interested in telling you how to take that.  Would love to hear how you take it in the comments section, though.

[Source: CBS Eye on Blogs]

Zing!

This is just kinda sad: In a major act of retroactive cover-your-ass, Kevin Montgomery — aftergoing all bro-douchey on local coverage of the detention of Amuse Bouche vendor Murat Celebi-Ariner last week (an important story in the, uh, Mission) — of Mission Mission shows new concern for the plight of the immigrant.

…

Follows a long story from a reader, presumably, about a kid scooped up and thrown into ICE detention. And you wanted us to know this because?

Let me get this straight, SF Weekly: some guy on the internet said something you don’t like so, in response, you launch a personal attack and lambast the general importance of Latino immigrants’ struggles, presumably, because they didn’t jump on some tired “street food” bandwagon?  Really?  Aren’t you supposed to be above that?  You are print journalists.  Homeless people use you for warmth.  I’m some guy behind a monitor who spends too much time at Bender’s.  I’m only used for warmth once every three years, average.

I know Mission Mission does not always tout the Weekly’s party-line and, yeah, we had a different take on this one, but we don’t get why that provoked two posts worth of vitriol from one of the Weekly’s editors.  I don’t think using the situation to promote a general discussion around the Missions’ immigration problems is so absurd.

(Post 1 | Post 2)

Look, our immigration laws are complete bullshit, but the reality of Murat’s (the The Amuse-Bouche Guy) situation is just absurd.  This guy is married to a U.S. citizen, could have easily stayed here legally, but instead just let his visa expire while he chilled out selling muffins.  His plight is a fucking insult to everyone that has to fight to be here illegally, who have to endure watching their loved ones get deported back countries with oppressive regimes in power while they work for slave wages because of their government-mandated undocumented status, all the while having absolutely no chance to be here legally.

Murat had the golden ticket and opted to not cash it in.  Let’s have a conversation about the people with real problems.

Get sick:

• Eye on blogs
• SFweekly 1,2, 3, 4, 5
• Broke-Ass Stuart
• SFist
• Mission Loc@l
• The list goes on…

(photo from Mission Loc@l)

SF Weekly’s SFoodie blog called it Thursday:

What’s the likelihood that city authorities will stage a crackdown on scofflaw entrepreneurs, especially in the face of mainstream buzz? Conversations with officials from both the police and the Health Department suggested that while the city doesn’t currently seem to have much appetite for busts of vendors like Curtis the Crème Brulee Guy, Cookie Wag, Amuse Bouche, or Sexy Soup Lady, the possibility of future action is real.

Richard Lee, the city’s director of Health Regulatory Programs, told SFoodie that action against unlicensed vendors almost always comes from the police. “Anytime we see or know about a violation, we report it to the police,” said Lee. “They can shut the vendor down, and a lot of the time they might confiscate their food.” The Health Department has some two dozen inspectors crisscrossing the city to perform inspections of restaurants and other permitted facilities. When they notice a street vendor they suspect of being unlicensed, procedure calls for them to alert the cops.

…

Early last month, Lee’s department was reportedly monitoring vendor tweets about when and where food sellers would show up to do business. He said it informed officers at Mission Station about suspected illegal sales. (link)

That said, Sexy Soup Lady speculated that last night’s bust might have not been provoked by City Hall, but by neighbors:

Cops were kinda cool (warning, no fine)…seemed like they were called by Linda St. residents. Have to find a new spot… StealthSoupCart.;) (link)

With hate potentially coming from multiple directions now, it will be interesting to see if the more production-oriented carts like Sexy Soup and Magic Curry can survive while dodging the police and regulators desperate for their absurd $10,000 permit fees.  Unfortunately, it sounds like more mobile street food vendors, which can easily evade the police, will be the only game in town in a couple of months.

Murat/ Amuse Bouche was run off 24th by BART police today.

Link. Johnny0, can we get some kind of map illustrating the injustice?

Previously:

Amuse Bouche Stand

Hi !

Thanks form promoting my business ! Tomorrow lemon and poppy seeds muffin ^^

Hope the wind will not blow as hard as today…

See ya

Link. Thanks, Murat!

40 Going On 28 reports on a lo-fi food kiosk at 24th and Mission, operated mornings by a guy maybe named Laurent named Murat:

I’ve noticed this guy before, but today I finally stopped on my way in to BART at 24th and Mission and availed myself of the Amuse-Bouche stand. He sells a small pastry of some kind and a small cup of hot beverage for a buck. What a deal!

Link.