Text 24744, 118 rader
Skriven 2012-05-12 13:47:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Michael Loo
Ärende: ALCOHOLIC 635 20512
===========================
 -=> Quoting Michael Loo to Glen Jamieson <=-

 ML> There's a restaurant in Boston, No. 9 Park, that Nicholas
 ML> frequents so frequently and has steered so many patrons to
 ML> that he is often subjected to numerous freebies - when I've
 ML> dined there with him, there's almost always an extra course,
 ML> but when I dine without him, it's lucky if I get everything
 ML> that I paid for. Anyhow, he went there just for drinks with
 ML> the famous Beth (former food writer for Gourmet, the Boston
 ML> Globe, and the NY Times), and they were presented with seven
 ML> appetizers in succession, all on the house. And at Kinkead's
 ML> in Washington he was given a bottle of Ch. Yquem for free.
 ML> Some people just live right, I guess.

Money begets money.  When a restaurant gives freebies like that, the
tipping protocol could become involved.  If you tip extra because you
get "free" courses, is that any different from ordering and paying for
the extra serves?  Or is a freebie a tip by the restaurant to get
better patronage by the customer in future?

 ML> At one place frequented by regular diners,
 GJ> I saw a shelf holding a row of whisky bottles, each with a customer's
 GJ> name on it. They would come in after work (say, at 10pm) and have a
 GJ> couple of shots before going off home.

 ML> I've been to such and was offered the chance to similarly
 ML> rent shelf space for a mere couple hundred dollars - whether
 ML> that was an annual charge or a one-time fee I never found
 ML> out, as I respectfully declined the proposition.

I didn't realise there was a charge for that, but of course I should
have.  In business, "No one gets nuttin for nuttin!", and where there
are fat expense accounts that people can use for self-aggrandizement,
it is inevitable that they would be taken advantage of in that way.
 
 GJ> I would consider myself honoured indeed to just see one of those
 GJ> fabled wines, let alone touch the label.  I have seen a Grange.
 ML> I met a Grange once but was unable to taste her delights
 ML> owing to a certain lightness in the pocketbook, something
 ML> that makes me less than a prime suitor to many.

I was briefly standing in for the manager of a wine shop I used to
frequent, when a girl came in and asked for a bottle of Grange, as she
had been wined and dined by a nice young man, and he had served a
bottle of the precious fluid, and she had liked it.  She was going to
give him a return dinner and wanted to serve that wine.  I explained
the difficulty of getting it for her, but told her a bit about the
wine's fame.  I think I sold her a Penfolds Bin 747, and recommended
that she should hold on to that man, as he obviously was serious!
 
 ML> If you are suggesting such, a rendezvous would be possible
 ML> and could be fun. On the other hand, my Bavarian friend
 ML> Christoph is planning a party planned around the Franconian
 ML> Beer Festival in a couple months, and I am invited, and a
 ML> mileage ticket for me and Lilli beckons. But next year
 ML> should be possible as well. I have been issued a 48-page
 ML> passport, and I have lots of spots to use up.

That is a good enough reason to travel more.  My current passport
expires in 2015; I think I will only get a 10 year one next time.

 ML> Turns out that the Franconian Beer Festival happened in May.
 ML> Turns out too that there is a Franconian Beer Festival in July
 ML> - the former is a decoy for the tourists, the latter the real
 ML> thing for the locals. It is proposed to attend the latter.

Naturally!
 
 GJ> you go to India, Indonesia and most of the Pacific region you get a
 GJ> glorious full page visa stamp.

 ML> I had a couple of those, which was the motivation for my going
 ML> to the US embassy in Singapore to have 24 extra pages sewn into
 ML> my passport. This time I saved the hour or two thus wasted and
 ML> had the extra pages put in when the new one was originally issued.

At an extra cost, of course...  It is amazing how expensive those
passport pages are.

The last time I got a new passport I forgot to ask for the old one
back, and so it was destroyed.  That was a pity, as it had some visas
for countries which no longer exist, such as Portuguese East Timor,
where it was noted that I arrived as a seaman on the "Nimrod".

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Nadine's Fiesta Flautas
 Categories: Appetizers, Mexican, Fruits
      Yield: 1 Servings
 
           Avocado mashed
           Cottage cheese, can smooth
           In a blender -- if desired
           Lemon juice
           Green chiles/roasted/skinned
           Stems/seeds -- removed/chop
           (or use frozen)
           Oregano leaves -- crushed
           Onion powder
           Garlic powder
           Corn tortillas
 
  Sprinkle avocado with lemon juice to preserve color.  Mix three parts
  avocado to one part cottage cheese and blend. Add green chiles,
  oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste. Fry tortillas in
  shallow hot shortening till softened and drain on paper towels. On
  heated griddle, roll up tortillas with a few tablespoons of avocado
  filling. Heat through. Serve immediately.
  
  Recipe By     : Zenophon
 
MMMMM
 

___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]

--- FLAME v2.0/b
 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)