▼ Culture The Taste of Europe restaurant and grocery store in Arlington had to tape over the “Russian” in their sign because of an influx of negative calls, emails and reviews from misguided people. Striking a Scapegoat BY DANNY GALLAGHER HAIR SALON BEST DALLAS OBSERVER 17-TIME WINNER COLOR SALON ALLURE BEST MAGAZINE IN THE USA HARPER’S BAZAAR BEST BRAZILIAN WAX BEST LUCKY MAGAZINE EXPERIENCE D MAGAZINE BEST R 32 years Serving Dallas Celebrating West Village 214-750-5667 • www.avalon-salon.com To All Interested Persons And Parties: Big D Concrete Inc, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration No. 168026, which would authorize construction of a concrete batch plant located at 3309 Pluto Street, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas 75212. This application is being processed in an expedited man- ner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Ad- ministrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. Additional information concerning this application is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper. 12 ecently, the Russian Banya of Carroll- ton restaurant got a one-star review on Google completely out of the blue. A single negative online review might not sound eventful for a thriving restaurant with a loyal customer base, but the problem is that the Russian Banya hasn’t been open since last summer, says owner Michael Uspenski. “We received a negative, one-star review from a Russian customer, I believe,” Uspen- ski says. “So this was because of my support of Ukraine.” Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a vicious invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Texas businesses and their custom- ers have been cutting direct and indirect ties to Russian products and services. Bars and restaurants have stopped stocking shelves with Russian vodka. The Russian Ballet Theatre shortened its name to its ac- ronym RBT ahead of its scheduled perfor- mance at The Majestic in a lengthy statement calling for peace and reminding audiences the ensemble comprises natives of many countries. Some local businesses that offer Russian goods or services, however, have been targeted by people who don’t understand what they do, where they stand or even of basic geography. “A lot of our stuff is not even from Rus- sia,” says Valentin Tsalko, the owner of A Taste of Europe Restaurant and Grocery Store in Arlington. Tsalko says in the days following the in- vasion, his business, which has been fea- tured on The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, started getting several negative calls from private numbers and in- accurate Yelp reviews of his establishment with “very absurd remarks like Putin has se- cret meetings in my restaurant.” Much of the attention on the business was due to the word “Russian” appearing on the sign. The restaurant has since covered over that part of the sign and this even became a trending topic on Twitter. “There were threats,” Tsalko says. “They’ve died down a little bit, but Twitter has blown up a little bit with people not believing our side of courtesy A Taste of Europe Restaurant and Grocery Store Local Russian businesses say they’re being unfairly targeted because of Putin. the story. An employee showed me the com- ment thread going back and forth.” Realtor Irina Norcross of Frisco, who of- fers help for house hunters who speak Rus- sian, says she’s heard from colleagues who encountered clients who didn’t want to work with them because they speak Russian and incorrectly assume they support the Russian government. “To be Russian doesn’t mean I support the war,” Norcross says. “No, of course not. I’m against the war. I don’t like the politics in Russia.” Signs of support for Ukraine have popped up all over North Texas, from city landmarks to individual establishments. The lights of the Omni Hotel and Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas changed to blue and yel- low in honor of Ukraine’s flags. AirBnb an- nounced a new initiative to provide shelter for people and their families for free to refu- gees. Tsalko’s restaurant posted a Ukrainian flag in the waiting area with the words “Stop war” on it. Uspenski says it’s myopic to think that just because a person comes from or has family in a certain part of the world means they also sup- port that government’s actions and policies. “I strongly support Ukraine,” Uspenski says. “I stand with them, and I’m firmly against Putin’s aggression on Ukraine. I love Ukraine. I have relatives in the Ukraine, and I love Russia, but I still do not support this kind of aggression.” Tsalko says several members of his staff and customer community have relatives in the Ukraine and in the Eastern European regions that are taking in refugees. The events of the last few weeks have affected all of them. Tsalko says he’s taken this opportunity to better educate his customers and commu- nity not just on the food they serve that comes from Russia and surrounding coun- tries but also on Dallas’ growing Russian and Ukrainian communities. “We’ve just been more specific about where some of our dishes are from and ex- plaining to people where the countries are,” Tsalko says. “The misinformation and now the exposure is coming up so people are get- ting more informed, which helps a lot.” MARCH 24–30, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com
