Trini Paki Boys Get Official Sign & Menu on Their Cart
For years the chicken and rice cart on 43rd just East of 6th Avenue has towed the line of relative annoynymity and street meat fame. Often referred to as the “Trini Pak Boys” the cart has always served up a popular Indian/Pakistani tasting version of chicken over rice, but their sign has always been pretty crap-tastic. Hand scrawled, with no real indication of what they wanted to be called, the original sign has finally been replaced. The cart is now officially known as the Trini Paki Boys Halal Food, and the full menu is layed out in an easy to read format.
In our Street Meat Palooza post, the cart scored surprisingly low- but we were criticized for getting the yellow rice instead of the white basmati rice. I’ll make sure they get their fair shake in Street Meat Palooza 2!
Posted: 11:30 am, September 4th, 2008 under 43rd btw. 5+6th, Cart, Street Meat, Trini Paki Boys Cart.
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51 Comments
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OOoh, strawberry lassi!
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Is there a date yet for Street Meat Palooza the 2nd yet?
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what’s “vivacious v. seamoss”?
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You know it really bothers me when people knowingly or unknowingly use ethnic slurs…because it shows a great depth of ingnorance.
I am referring to the use of “Paki” not only by the owners of said cart but by Zach in the post. If memory serves a few months ago someone had pointed out why “Paki” is the equivalent of the N word and other ethnic slurs along those lines.
I for one am disappointed in Zach who should have learned something from the last time and I will not patronize said cart.
For those who think I am being overly sensitive how would one feel about patronizing the Jaminican Dutchy “N” or Mosihe’s “K” falafel…I doubt we would have many takers.
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You definitely have to get Basmati. They are without a doubt the spiciest of the carts.
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I patronize estblishments that spell and punctuate correctly.
Not that I would ever consider eating from a vermin-infested food truck.
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“Paki” is an ethnic slur in the UK for sure (didn’t one of the royals cause a scandal by using it in public in the last few years?), but largely unheard-of in the US. Possibly not intentionally offensive on the cart’s part, especially since (presumably) the owners are Pakistani.
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Yes,Sarah, it was Prince Philip(who else?) refering to(former) President Musharraf.
jk
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Apparently Sarah you did not read the post that someone wrote serveral months ago. “Paki” was a slur coined by the British(colonial raj) who found the natives to be inferior. Try calling someone from India or any other south asian nation besides Pakistan… don’t expect to be greeted with open arms. So the whole argument that ethnic peoples can use slurs which in many cases were made up by their opressors is BS. I hate the so called “reclaiming’ argument.
Again ignorance is no excuse for using these words…whether you are one of the tribe or non tribe.
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Well done, Abrain. As your moniker suggests, you have a brain.
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Hey, I’m heading over to Trini-Paki right now, got my iPod all loaded up with Niggaz With Attitude. Gonna get a dog with kraut on the way with a Bud nip chaser and maybe a box of Spic N Span on the way back to clean my frog tank and guinea pig cage. Sure some people say my bad attitude is a chink in my armor but I say “Shut up before I put my foot up your fanny”
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You aren’t offended by the fact that they have no access to toilets/running water? If they are indeed trinidadian pakistani’s, it’s like when black people use the N word amongst themselves..
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ugh. stop giving words so much power. as i taught my little brother, a slur is hurtful because of the sentiment behind it, not the word itself. that’s why in different contexts, the same word can be either a terrible slur or a term of endearment. obviously in this context, the people at this cart are not using “paki” in a way that’s meant to be hurtful to themselves or others, and i think most people get that. and when we refer to it by its name, we don’t mean to be mean either. pls no more pc police.
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Tuh.
Bloody touchy Colonials.
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Did someone say Spic?
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Who are you calling a colonial?
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Trust me MFC I get your reasoning and am not trying to be the PC police…hehe just look at some of the posts on this forum.
Just as you might not find this post offensive…I do for a host of reasons. For example when the surpeme court was trying to determine what was pornography/obsence. One of the justices famously said, “I know it when I see it”. I think this what it all boils down to…and I have every right to express my feelings because to me they are valid.
Oh Rudy you should never assume mate!
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Things white people like #101: Being offended.
To be offended is usually a rather unpleasant experience, one that can expose a person to intolerance, cultural misunderstandings, and even evoke the scars of the past. This is such an unpleasant experience that many people develop a thick skin and try to only be offended in the most egregious and awful situations. In many circumstances, they can allow smaller offenses to slip by as fighting them is a waste of time and energy. But white people, blessed with both time and energy, are not these kind of people. In fact there are few things white people love more than being offended.
Naturally, white people do not get offended by statements directed at white people. In fact, they don’t even have a problem making offensive statements about other white people (ask a white person about “flyover states”). As a rule, white people strongly prefer to get offended on behalf of other people.
It is also valuable to know that white people spend a significant portion of their time preparing for the moment when they will be offended. They read magazines, books, and watch documentaries all in hopes that one day they will encounter a person who will say something offensive. When this happens, they can leap into action with quotes, statistics, and historical examples. Once they have finished lecturing another white person about how it’s wrong to use the term “black” instead of “African-American,” they can sit back and relax in the knowledge that they have made a difference.
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Hey Mike, how many Phds to you have?
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I’ll take it as a given “Paki” is offensive, but I don’t see how Zach reporting about the cart with Paki in the name is offensive. When Don Imus said nappy headed hoes, were you offended that they repeated it in the news, or that he said it in the first place?
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Rudy and Mike, in case your comments are directed at me…you should not assume…I assure you both of you would be wrong. :)
Also, to address Mike’s point…It is silly. You seem to believe the “white man” is overly burdened. You do realize how dumb you come across?
I have written something below which I am pretty sure you never heard of.
Immigrants had to go through a process of becoming “white”. Italians, Poles, Russians, Jews, and Irish were not considered “white” in the traditional when they arrived on these shores. It was the younger generation who would be truly accepted as “white Americans”. Unfortunately many people like yourself Mike have forgotten what hardships immigrants had to endure…whose ancestors today we take for granted as being “white”.
This is process is still ongoing and changing with immigration but the only difference is that even a 4th generation Chinese-American wil always be seen as chinese first because of the physical characteristics…so they will never be “white”. So race and all the baggage that it brings with it will be in play.
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Rudy, bet you a pint that someone calls someone else a nazi before 5pm NY Time
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I didn’t write that. Nobody else on this blog has heard of
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reverse racism? white guilt? chinks in armor?
fuk me gently with a chainsaw already
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Mamacita, I’m sure that can be arranged with a few clicks of the mouse on Craigslist. Stuff white people like jumped the shark before it was a book…
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I’ve heard of it even though made me realize I’m not white. And I find that offensive.
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@ mike: no, you’re not the only one who frequents that site. apparently abrain doesn’t understand sarcasm.
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@ wayne: Ya dang Nazi… (only cause british ale is so goood! )
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@ fed: I understand sarcasm…but just found it lame and my man.
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Sorry for my grammer and spelling mistakes…had a long night. Shall do better next time. :)
Meant to say: fed: I understand sarcasm…but just found it lame and stupid my man.
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@abrain. man? where i’m from, if you call a woman a man, you are not only sexist, but you’re racist to boot! i’m so offended.
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I have made it my life’s work to offend people of asian descent.
This is the first I have heard of “Paki,” so-called.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……………………..
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@wayne, I laughed out loud at your first post, thanks – brilliant!!
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Hey CockChug, your life’s work might be better served in a sanitarium. Just saying.
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I’m in late, after the drama, but I gotta say the use of “Paki” freaks me out, too. Not by Zach, because he’s just repeating the name of the cart, but by the cart itself using it. It’s just not cool, and reinforces the acceptability of such a slur.
A shame, too, since that’s a cart that’s actually CLOSE to me and I could try it out if I ever left my 2 block radius. Damn.
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Wow you people, its just a freaking food cart. They don’t have a probelm with it why is everyone else so edgy. The only thing that bothers me is the confusing prices as they seem to have mixed up the order of SM MED LG.
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I just click through DocChuKKK’s profile. He is FAT. I though he would be lean and mean but he just a olld fat white man. Not suprising.
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Abrain, I didn’t say it wasn’t a slur. I said it wasn’t one in common usage in the U.S. Midtown is in the U.S. (I hadn’t heard of it as a slur until the Prince Philip incident myself.) This increases the chance that someone could use it as shorthand for Pakistani without intending it with the full force it would have in a pub in Southwick. I’d like to see the name changed, but there should probably be a difference in intensity of reaction, at least, to someone using a slur in full knowledge of what it means and with intent to offend and someone who you have some good reason to think is not.
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Are they there today? I didn’t see them yesterday…
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To answer my own question, yes it was. However I was kinda underwhelmed, the meat was decent, but it really wasn’t very spicy and while the Basmati rice was good, it was a little too sweet for me, tasted like pure cinnamon. Also the portion was small and they were out of Lassis…
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I may be carrying a few pounds here and there, but I am fabulous wealthy and better educated than you are.
Right now — as I type this — my young and vivacious wife are in South Dakota, having purchased yet another Best Western motel to add to our real estate holding, should that excite you.
http://www.angelasfoodlove.com/2008/08/salsa-verde-sauce-that-goes-with.html
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DocChukkk then have you gotten a new wife? I have seen puctures of your wife and she is an old fat whiteperson such as yourself. MidtownLuncrs, here is evidence: http://www.tripadvisor.com/MemberPhotos-a_uid.5406690-w2#1641964
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I’m originally from Trinidad, and can assure you that there’s few (if any!) Pakistanis living there. There is, however, a fairly substantial Indian population that dates back to the 1800s, as they were brought as indentured slaves to harvest the sugar cane plantation. Hence, the whole concept of a Trinidadian-Pakistani combo is extremely confusing, and illogical.
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Bob you have to keep in mind before there was the NATIONS of India, Pakistan or Bangledeshi…the entire subcontinent was referred by the English as India…so all those people whether they were Hindus, Jains, Muslims or Sikhs were called Indians…so I am sure there are descendents of muslims on Trinidad….why this cart has chosen to use Trinidadian-Pakistani combo…probably has its root in the faith and identification of Pakistan because orignally it was found to be a homeland of muslims of India.
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That pic is definitive evidence that CockChug’s wife has more chins than a Chinese telephone book
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Vivacious? Last I checked blow-up dolls were the exact opposite of vivacious. Lifeless, I’d say. Oh, and you need to add a -ly to FAB-U-LOUS, Dr. Smartypants.
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Chucky,keep Tingtong away from the beach.
The locals might try and roll her back into the sea.
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@Rudy, love the Little Britian ref
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What’s going on with the Trini Pak Boys? They haven’t been there in a week or so. On vacation? Too cold?
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holy hell what a ridiculous forum!?! i work right down the street btwn 5th and 6th on 43rd and eat there, without fail, once a week.
I have never been disappointed. this is by far the most favorful mix of good, spice, curry that i have had in the city and you can beat the price.
$5 for veg on pita? Are they doing truffle shavings?