Thursday, May 20, 2010

DO NOT SUPPORT CHAIRMAN BAO TRUCK


I saw this through an urban daddy posting yesterday that says it comes from the people at Charlie Trotter and Pacific Catch. I have no problem with people trying to sell gua bao, but if you're going to enter the market, be ORIGINAL. These people straight took the name of my #1 item and set-up shop with it. I have used the mark in commerce and shown the intent to trademark it. If anyone knows a good IP attorney, let me find out! BUT, I would prefer not to sue and just have these people stop using my name. Really, can you just name it Not-So Express Panda or some shit?


If you google chairman bao, you see that the first hit is about baohaus. Obviously, if you are rolling out a food truck, you have googled your name and seen that this name is being used. Nothing has pissed me off about the restaurant industry more than this to date. Yelpers pale in comparison and you know I hate them. I worked my ass off, opened this place with $300 left in my pocket, I support my whole family with Baohaus and then this joker with deeper pockets opens this piece of shit that not only steals my name, my concept, half my menu, but also has the gall to shark bite Shepard Fairey's style. Its borderline offensive too that the idiot combined Japanese style nuclear/sun rays with a Chinese name and a Taiwanese food. I did broccoli rabe and chinese sausage months ago, now this dude is doin it.

If I ever am inspired by another restaurant/food, I ALWAYS put it on the blog just like when I went to Taiwan. I pay my respect and when I re-create I always have an original touch. For instance, I like Taiwanese Rice Balls, but mine will have the extra touch of being brushed and fried. Its not hard to do something original, it just takes integrity and a little extra work. Its really unfair to artists (which cooks are) that there are people who want to capitalize off someone else's work.

Look, everyone and their mothers knows, David Chang popularized the pork bun. NO FUCKING DOUBT. But, I'm Taiwanese. Our people have been making these things for 50 some odd years. No one in NY outside of Queens wrote or knew about it so I wanted to do something for the community and my family. I came up with an original idea. A Taiwanese street vendor style short menu featuring environmentally sustainable (all-natural meat) gua bao buoyed by an art, design, and music element. Taking the streetwear style I'd been working in to present Taiwanese street food alongside golden era hip hop. A simple yet original idea. To take my shit, pair it with another streetwear designer/artist, and sell the same shit is just bullshit. Especially if you're all Charlie Trotter already. The fuck you need this for? You already got your paper, FEED THE FUCKING STREETS SOMETHING ORIGINAL.

Additionally, there is this Josh Tang kid involved. http://www.linkedin.com/in/joshtang
The founder of Mobi Munch, Inc. that is involved with this venture. He is trying to commodify food trucks and spread them out with no concern for environment (they don't use all natural), no concern for artistic integrity, and obviously no concern for history because they are selling gua bao and explain it all wrong. He also was involved with wire image before and basically he's an ivory tower douche bag trying to capitalize and commodify the street food movement. Josh Tang, in the words of dave chappelle FUCK YO COUCH.

UPDATE: Even the SF Weekly asks if the Chairman Bao Truck is even worth fighting for... "But from an authenticity viewpoint, we don't think Baohaus, the New York eatery calling for a Chairman Bao boycott, has to worry about competition in anything other than name." http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/05/chairman_bao_not_bad_but_is_it.php

Yes, thank you, we da best.

UPDATE: Charlie Trotter not involved. Makes me feel better. My mom got all his books. Big fan of the hit record "aint gon hurt no foie gras" as well. But, this just means mobi truck has absolutely no credibility but I'm also curious how Trotter and Pacific Catch got implicated???? Urban Daddy???