Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was recently seen enjoying a lavish meal at the restaurant of Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gokce, aka Salt Bae, and it did not go over well.

As many know, including Maduro, Venezuela is in the midst of a food crisis and millions are suffering from hunger, which is why the president dining on steak and smoking cigars at the restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday was so controversial.

In a video shared on social media, Maduro can be seen smoking a cigar and dining at the expensive restaurant. Gokce slices meat in front of him and Maduro holds up a t-shirt at the table, at one point telling diners, "This is a once in a lifetime moment," per Reuters.

Mientras tanto el gobernante de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, visita al reconocido chef, Salt Bae, en Turquía y disfruta de un delicioso manjar junto a la “primera combatiente” Cilia Flores. #DimeAlgo pic.twitter.com/tGieG9GV8J — Yusnaby Pérez (@Yusnaby) September 17, 2018

A university study published in February revealed that 87 percent of Venezuelans are living in poverty. As a result of higher food prices millions of people are forced to skip meals, and 72.7% of those reviewed for the study reported weight loss over the past year.

So when news broke that Maduro was dining at a restaurant that sells steaks that reported cost anywhere from $70 to $275, people were not pleased. Many Venezuelans and politicians tweeted outrage at both Maduro and Gokce.

This is a disgrace beyond belief: with thousands of Venezuelans at risk due to their living circumstances and this individual feeding this horrible dictator @NicolasMadurohttps://t.co/0c0LC1MS8T — Jose Pepe Diaz (@CommishDiaz) September 18, 2018

Salt bae, unless maduro dies of literal food poisoning tomorrow, you are dead to me. pic.twitter.com/fDUQTDAyFx — Alejandro Dominguez (@JanoDominguez) September 18, 2018

Florida senator Marco Rubio joined in the criticism of Maduro's dinner, encouraging others to voice their disappointment and sharing the information to Gokce's Miami restaurant.

I don’t know who this weirdo #Saltbae is, but the guy he is so proud to host is not the President of #Venezuela. He is actually the overweight dictator of a nation where 30% of the people eat only once a day & infants are suffering from malnutrition. https://t.co/sSNPK9cAAx — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 18, 2018

This guy @nusr_ett who admires dictator @NicolasMaduro so much actually owns a steakhouse in, of all places, #Miami. It’s called NUSR-ET STEAKHOUSE MIAMI located at 999 Brickell Avenue, Miami, FL 33131

The phone number is 1 305 415 9990 in case anyone wanted to call. https://t.co/7CDkgHVZWh — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 18, 2018

Maduro reportedly stopped in Istanbul on his way back from China — where he was seeking more loans to assist Venezuela — but the decision to indulge in a lavish dinner while millions of people back home starve was beyond tone-deaf.