Restaurant critics strike again: Noodles "had a supreme chlorine flavoring" (but he ate them anyway)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Some of you may remember the thread I posted in which a restaurant critic pissed and moaned because the bacon strips and avocado slices on the sandwich he ordered were not uniformly laid out in each half.

Tonight, I share with you another adventure, in which his associate has an unfortunate encounter with "chlorine noodles"...

For those of you who didn't read last night's thread, I know these guys...that's why there's no link or personally identifiable info.

:toast:

When my bowl arrived, it looked great. Just what I was hoping for, with veggies to boot! The veggies were the first to go, nice crunch and quite flavorful. The shrimp balls were super hot, but very full of flavor - also good stuff. Then I sampled the noodles and almost gagged. They had a supreme chlorine flavoring to them. I thought I was poisoned! In truth, both (name removed) and I had experienced these kinds of noodle flavoring before but I have never had them to degree of noxiousness. It flavored the broth as well, and I just could not drink the broth (which I like to do after I eat the noodles). I did manage to eat the noodles because I was so hungry, but I was half hoping to get an upset stomach later.

[crim son]

1. Hey, I think I know my next career move.

Come on, why no personally identifiable info? :P

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. These guys have reviewed clients of mine, at my request

So I'm doing the honorable thing by mocking and ridiculing them anonymously. I'm just that kind of guy.

:rofl:

The "Noodle" guy's reviews regularly have one central theme: he's never happy with the portions. But when it came to the noodles, it seems like he ate his fill.

:evilgrin:

[crim son]

5. "I'm just that kind of guy."

See? I knew I loved you. :rofl:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. It just keeps getting better, too. That's the best part.

But if I say any more, I 'll cast the shadow of doubt on one of my other great qualities, "modesty."

:spray:

[crim son]

7. Ah, there it is: we are alike because I'm modest too.

Just ask any DUer. :P

As long as your modesty doesn't go so far as to hide your wit I say WTHell, enjoy it. God will love you, if nobody else does. :hi:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

8. I visited a client today who, early in the relationship...

...basically demanded that I let the wit out. I told him that I don't want to offend my clients or appear to be unprofessional or a clown and he basically gave me the green light to be exactly the way I am, with no front. Seriously, he pokes the cage with a stick...he makes me bite. It makes him happy and I enjoy making people laugh and hey...clients are human, too.

The Japanese have a colloquialism called "Tatemae / Honne." "Tatemae" is the face you show everyone outside of your inner circle. "Honne" is the face you show to the people you know, trust, and have established a relationship with.

The client from this morning and several others have made our business relationships so much more rewarding because we have a two-way "Honne" thing by agreement. I work very hard and there's no kidding around when it comes to giving my clients what they pay for. Some of my clients are "all business," and that's OK, but others are the true reward of the work I do...just being able to say that I know them and I am a contributing factor to their success, and that they consider me to be a trusted friend.

[crim son]

9. I imagine there are some business/client relationships where Honne

might be detrimental to your transaction. I can imagine specifics. However, beyond those specifics I find the very idea that we are forced into Tatamae, a horror. Maybe I lack the imagination adequate to envision what would happen if we were all ourselves, all the time.

How is it you know Honne and Tatemae?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

10. Oh yeah, "Honne" can be a deal MAKER or a deal BREAKER,

That's the challenge in my business. I start out on the cordial side of "Tatemae." 99.9% of all clients can live with that...friendly and professional.

Then, as the relationship develops, I either remain "the hired help" (which is OK with me, as long as I get paid) or it becomes a friendship. But the business man or woman who walks into a business relationship on day 1 in full-blown "Honne" mode is either extremely confident or a complete idiot. In most cases, the jury would rule on "idiot."

I know Honne and Tatemae because of an interest in Japanese culture. It's fascinating on a number of levels, from the arts and popular culture to the business world.

One of my favorite books is by an American author who lived in Japan and worked his way into the inner circle of the Yakuza (Japan's equivalent of the Mafia). It's called "Yakuza Diary: Doing Time in the Japanese Underworld" (http://www.amazon.com/Yakuza-Diary-Doing-Japanese-Underworld/dp/087113604X).

I first learned of "Tatemae / Honne" in this book:



NTC's Dictionary of Japan's Cultural Code Words

http://www.amazon.com/NTCs-Dictionary-Japans-Cultural-Words/dp/0844283150/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196406964&sr=1-2

[crim son]

15. So it's not so much a mark of - compassion - as it is an indication

that you've overcome some sort of social hurdle? I love the fact that various cultures have the words that distinguish one relationship from the next. I am not at all knowledgeable about what constitutes a "tu" vs. a "vous," however. Thank you for the book link.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

16. I've compassionately jumped a social hurdle...I'm an enigma wrapped in a riddle.

99% of my waking hours are spent not thinking about why I do what I do.

Like I said in another thread, last night or maybe the night before...my life is based on the philosophy of Popeye The Sailor:

[crim son]

17. I'm guessing that's my signal to stop with the questions.

I must say, however, "enigma." I say this only because you are hugely entertaining.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

18. I don't give out signals...just good vibes and wave after wave of CyberPheromones.

:rofl:

[crim son]

19. That will account for the dizziness and diverted blood flow.

:rofl:

[reyd reid reed]

2. Supreme chlorine flavoring?

I suppose that's better than mundane chlorine flavoring.

He ate, though. Maybe, deep down, he likes chlorine.

[qwertyMike]

3. I'm hungry now

Pita bread, sliced meat (Black Forest Ham, Montreal Smoked Meat) and Havardi cheese.
Mini Pizza

[CreekDog]

11. I noticed the same thing up the road at Ongpin Noodle House in South SF

Something in there tasted like urinal cake, or what I think one would taste like.

And, yup, I know the restaurant you are talking about tee hee, hee. Do you go there for Jobs?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. I use their Web Site for market research...restaurants without Web Sites (or poorly done ones).

And yeah, I know you figured it out last night, so

keep it to yourself!

:rofl:

[CreekDog]

13. Oh? What's it worth to ya? (nt)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

14. A steamin' hot cup 'o' chlorine noodles...bon appetit! n/t

[Crabby Appleton]

20. Stop whining, the chlorine kills the E. Coli. nt