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5 Years Ago, Bill O'Reilly Was Amazed At Sylvia's: "There Wasn't Any Kind Of Craziness At All"
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 23, 2012
Modified Jul 23, 2012
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Sam Horine/Gothamist
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 23, 2012
Modified Jul 23, 2012
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Tomorrow, there will be a public viewing at the Abyssinian Baptist Church for iconic Harlem restaurateur Sylvia Woods, who passed away last week. Woods' family and the Reverend Al Sharpton also announced that next week, on August 1, there will be a parade and breakfast in honor of the restaurant's 50th anniversary and Woods' legacy.
Sharpton wrote an op-ed in the Daily News about Sylvia's Restaurant's importance in the black and global community. He often ate there with powerful figures, including Fox News' Bill O'Reilly. Back in 2007, O'Reilly recounted his thoughts about the meal on his radio program:
I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship.
...There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.' ...You know, I mean, everybody was -- it was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all.
There was, of course, outrage (fueled by Media Matters) and O'Reilly tried to get Sharpton to stand up for him. Sharpton would only say that he hadn't heard the recording but "What I read was surprising and disturbing." Sharpton went onto say that his words had been distorted by the media before so "I will be as fair to you as you have been to me. I will listen to the tape, and I will give my judgment." He added that he and O'Reilly go to dinner in Harlem once a year and that O'Reilly has never said anything offensive. O'Reilly kept mentioning how he picked up the tab, but Sharpton said, "You should pick up the tab - you make more money!"
As for the reaction from Sylvia's, Woods' son H. Kenneth Woods told the NY Times, "I was surprised that after all these years in business he would have thought that he would’ve possibly seen something different. He’s welcome to come again." But one diner said, "I would laugh if I didn’t think it was sad."
Tagged
bill o'reilly
harlem
restaurant
reverend al sharpton
sylvia woods
sylvia's
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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