cafe soul
Image Source: Screenshot From The Video

[Update]: Amidst the drama of speaking english the right way is a privilege, Cafe Soul’s Cannoli did try to cover the scene up with a non-caring attitude. They tried pinning it on the audience construing the situation in the wrong way. Well, as it turns out, you really can’t get away with wrongdoing. The manager, Awais at Cannoli whom Diya and Uzma made fun of, has been offered a job by Shahbaz Taseer.

He asked the help of Twitterati to trace Awais. And now, he has shared the update that he has spoken to the manager and offered him a job. Let’s see how Awais will respond.



[Update]: The whole social media erupted today as the video of Cannoli owners embarrassing its employees went viral. And all because the manager of the elitist cafe was not speaking the level of English they would. People immediately jumped to defend the manager and rightfully so. Someone even mentioned that Urdu is our language while English is a complex that people have. And it’s true.

One should learn new languages. But judging others to know a skill that is not really required of them is plain shameful. And if they really are rich elites who travel the world, they must also have travelled European countries where English is not the official language. There they will find the managers who do not speak English well, would they do the same to them?

Anyway, the cafe has come forward to respond to it.

Interestingly, they are not apologizing. They have chosen to call that embarrassing interaction as gupshup. But here is a hypothetical situation. Had this been something an employee of them had done, would they have said the same or had they dissociated themselves with that employee?



Speaking English has become the primary determinant of the socioeconomic class you belong to. A professor of mine once said, “rich create jobs, while poor create babies.” This thought, I believe, is the starting point for anyone on their way to be a part of the elitist culture.

Where are the basic etiquettes of being human?

But regardless of what your class is, isn’t it basic etiquettes to be human. It really doesn’t take much, but here is the thing, if the class divide is deeply embedded in you, you can’t do anything but fall deep into the clasps of the elitist mindset. It convinces you that due to your money, you to sit on a pedestal.

Is that not what happened at Cannoli as well? Cannoli is a cafe in Islamabad by Cafe Soul. A video went viral where two women, Uzma and Diya, introduced themselves as the owners of Cannoli. It is important to note that they made this video out of boredom, as they specifically mention at the start of the video.

cafe soul

The Viral Video of Cafe Soul

So the two women introduce themselves and the manager at the cafe. They seemed respectful in the beginning as they made small talk with the manager, Owais. They mentioned that the manager had been a part of their business for the past nine years; in fact, ‘he was one of the first hires.’ When someone is a part of their life for the past nine years, you sure develop a certain understanding with them but the posture, the way the interaction happened, indicates that the manager and the owners are not that close. And even if they were, does that give anyone the right to attempt to humiliate the other person and that too publicly.

In the video, they asked the manager very innocently that in the past nine years have he formally studied English. Upon that, Owais replies that he, in fact, did take three courses to be able to communicate in the English language. According to that calculation, his studies have spanned over 1.5 years.

And that’s where they ask him a very derogatory question. They ask him to say something in English. Had they asked this from a child studying English, it would have been a cute interaction. But as we all understand, context matters, asking the manager such a question was outright awful.

It is sad that Cafe Soul or Cannoli did this, but it is refreshing to see how people all over the internet are standing up for the manager. It seems there is still hope for the masses.

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