Pablo Escobar is a controversial figure wherever his name is mentioned. Talk about him in Colombia and you'll definitely find people angry that you've even muttered his name and then you have authorities who are still dealing with the cocaine industry he essentially started. So you can imagine people's reactions when an Aussie pop-up restaurant started selling burgers like these: The restaurant in Melbourne affectionately called Pablo Escoburgers (see what they did there), has come under fire recently after one of their items went viral. You can pick up the Patron burger, which looks like your run of the mill burger except it's topped with a line of white powder looking a lot like cocaine, and of course, it's finished off with a fake $100 American bill. It should be noted that this pop-up isn't handing out big white slugs to everyone, instead, it's just garlic powder meant to mimic cocaine duh.On top of that, you can buy the vegetarian burger, which comes with salt encased in a white baggie that, again, looks very much like cocaine. Oh, and there's a spoon waiting inside.
While some people might find it funny, there's been a fierce reaction online." I'd like to see someone try and explain that to their kid who just wants to eat a burger?" wrote one person. Another viewer said: "How can we explain (to) you people that IT ISN'T FUNNY? Try to do that with Hitler and see what happens. Use your brain folks."The co-owner of the restaurant, Vaughn Marks, says their establishment has been given a 2-star rating on Facebook because, he claims, a bunch of angry Colombians downvoted him for glorifying Escobar. As a result, he's issued a statement, saying: "We are very proud of our burgers but we do also understand that Pablo Escobar was a horrible man who destroyed the lives of thousands of Colombians," the statement read."We do not condone, idolize or promote Pablo Emilio Escobar or his actions in any way. We are however Australian and know how to have a laugh about a good play on words."It's just a name of a pop-up burger bar not really a theme. Hard not to offend someone in 2019."He's sticking to his guns and won't change the name, despite the backlash. He's asked people who have enjoyed the food to give them a rating to balance out all the negative reviews.