Metro

Zuccotti’s cooks can’t take ‘A’ joke

GRADE EXPECTATIONS: Volunteers last night dish out supper at Zuccotti Park, where theywerecrestfallen to learn the posted “A” grade was a “kind gesture,” butahoax. (Lawrence Schwartzwald)

At least it was a clean joke.

A prankster pulled a fast one on the kitchen crew at protester-filled Zuccotti Park last night, taping up an “A’’-grade restaurant sign at the food tables that appeared to be from the city Health Department.

Cheers even erupted from the volunteer Occupy Wall Street staff when told of the “rating.’’

“We keep clean no matter what people say about us — that ‘A’ proves them wrong!’’ crowed unemployed chef Sean Dolan, 48, of Rhode Island.

But the group’s joy quickly curdled after leaders took a closer look at the sign — and the clearly forged signature of Mayor “Mike Bloomberg’’ in black Sharpie at the bottom.

“It seems someone made a kind gesture, but it turned out to be false,’’ one kitchen worker said. “It’s kind of sad that we got our hopes up, only to have them dashed like this.’’

The makeshift kitchen — which revolves around four preparation and six serving tables in the lower Manhattan park — couldn’t have garnered an official rating, anyway: It’s not a registered eatery with the city.

Earlier in the day, protesters had more than food on their minds.

Organizers hastily set up a special “Cold Committee’’ to prevent desertions when the frost sets in and morale gets tested.

First on the agenda was the hoarding of incoming, donated sleeping bags and blankets.

A 22-year-old North Carolina man who identified himself as Poncho Guthrie said that he, for one, is staying put.

“I’m going to be sticking it out for the winter,” Guthrie proclaimed.

“It’s definitely pretty biting . . . [But] this is not an anarchist camping trip. People are serious about this.”

The masses include guilt-ridden rich folks, who have quietly sidled up to their dusty brethren for a bit of cathartic activism.

“I think the point is that there are people who are immensely privileged and there are people who are suffering terribly nearby,” Princeton student Leah Hunt-Hendrix, who comes from a wealthy family, told MSNBC. “I think that this movement should involve everyone.’’

Additional reporting by Lawrence Schwartzwald