Fox News' Bill O'Reilly dishes insults as he eats at soul food restaurant
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wire reports

Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly needs to get out more. After sitting down to eat coconut shrimp with the Rev. Al Sharpton at Sylvia's, Harlem's most famous soul food restaurant, the talk-show host told his radio listeners he was surprised that it is a perfectly normal, civilized restaurant. "I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. It was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks [and has a] primarily black patronship," O'Reilly said. "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, '[Expletive], I want more iced tea!' . . . There wasn't any kind of craziness at all," he said. The comments, made in an hourlong show about race last week and publicized by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters, prompted outrage and guffaws Tuesday. "It is very insulting," said restaurant manager Trenness Woods-Black. "O'Reilly's knowledge about the African-American community is limited, and his statements are outrageous and unfortunate."