Do progressives care more about great sandwiches than workers?

Oh it feels like just last week, I devoured a tasty Cuban roast sandwich from Paseo: the chunky tender pieces of pork, the huge caramelized onions, the tangy sauce on that toasted bread.

Actually, it was last week I had one.

I’ll always remember that experience – and I’ll have to, because, as you heard, the wildly popular Paseo has closed. They posted a sign on the door saying it’s due to “unfortunate circumstances.” They thanked their loyal customers for all their support and it’s exactly what they’ll need if they hope to ever reopen and have customers again.

There’s been a lawsuit filed against the owners of Paseo that some are suggesting may be the real reason behind the closures.

As reported by MyNorthwest.com, several employees allege the owners cheated them out of wages, refused to pay them overtime, denied them breaks despite making them working 12 hours or more at a time, and then fired them after they complained.

Now, if you go on Twitter or check out the blogs or even talk to fans of Paseo, you’re hearing a ton of outrage and sadness. But not necessarily over the allegations of worker mistreatment. The outrage and sadness are coming from folks who just can’t eat their Paseo sandwich anymore.

The progressive folks over at the Stranger seem to poo-poo the allegations against Paseo; they treat the allegations as an insignificant aside.

Paul Constant, who likes to tell us how evil and dumb Republicans are and how progressives like him are so much better than us all because they care more, makes a note that they’re being “sued for wage theft,” but focuses on how darn good the sandwiches are! He wrote: “[E]very time I visited Paseo, I had to wait in a very long line… And for good reason! I’ve said on multiple occasions that Paseo is home to the best sandwich in Seattle. Dan Savage loved that sandwich. Everyone loved that sandwich. And now it is gone.”

How poetic.

Ansel Herz treats the allegations with kid gloves – in a way he’d never treat it if the allegations were being leveled against, say a big corporation or councilmembers and members of Congress he doesn’t like. He writes: “The truth is we don’t know why Paseo closed. We couldn’t get through when we gave them a call, and employees quoted so far in the media have been tight-lipped about the reasons.”

In a rare case of being fair to the accused, he says, “We also know that Paseo Caribbean Food Inc. denies all the allegations, according to documents it filed in King County Superior Court.” He also allows them to present part of their defense. Something he didn’t pretend to care about when covering the Westlake security guard who allegedly pepper sprayed a passerby.

Even more out of character, Ansel is looking into the immigration status of the workers – something progressives usually say is irrelevant and just a way to attack “others.”

Normally, progressives aren’t so understanding, but apparently their values can be pushed aside for a good sandwich.