For preparing a seafood meal with a 9/11 theme to mark the 21st anniversary of the bloodiest terrorist assault on US territory, a country club in rural Virginia has come under fire.
The Clubhouse restaurant at Aquia Harbour in Stafford’s George White issued a flier for their “Patriot Day 2022” meal on Tuesday night.
The solemn menu included delicacies like the $18 “Freedom Flounder,” “9-11 Oysters,” “First Responder Flatbread,” and the “2977 Chowder,” which were references to the number of people who perished in the attacks. Additionally, it included a piece of chocolate silk “Pentagon Pie” for dessert.
White withdrew the tweet and apologised after receiving immediate criticism on social media, where many referred to it as revolting.
After the themed menu went up, one irate twitter user said, “Hopefully they’ll be appropriately humiliated for this.”
Another commenter pointed out that the restaurant’s neighbourhood of Stafford is home to many active-duty military personnel and veterans.
White quickly took down the menu advertisement and posted an apology on a local Facebook group.
I sincerely regret any hurt caused by my post on 9/11 seafood Sunday. My goal was to raise awareness of that terrible day from two decades ago.
To remember both those who sacrificed everything that day and those who lost a great deal,” he added.
That was undoubtedly his goal when he created the “Remember-tini,” a delectable mixture of key lime rum cream and whipped cream.
Since the incident occurred 21 years ago, 9/11 would be able to legally order a drink at the bar.
White stated that the eatery will choose a fresh motif to mark the occasion.
In addition to standard community dues of $1,620 annually and a $2,500 community initiation cost, the golf club in the suburban neighbourhood charges a family membership fee of $1,035.
It is 45 miles from Washington, D.C. It promotes itself as having a river that flows into the Chesapeake Bay and a “delightful rural environment.”
Residents must pay additional fees of several hundred dollars each year to access the community’s pool, marina, and stables.
The deadliest terror attack in US history occurred on September 11, 2001.
2,977 people were killed when two hijacked planes from Al-Qaeda crashed into the World Trade Center.
A field in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. were the sites of two additional plane crashes.
Additionally, it was the deadliest incident in American history for emergency firefighter and law enforcement crews.