Sunday, March 24 2013
Good advice at any time, really
Oh my: for the second time in a year I'm going to talk about Winexpert business. This has absolutely no correlation to the fact that it's my annual review, year-end, and I'm trying to bump up sales for the Winexpert Retail store.
Suuuuure.
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Posted by Glengarry GlennTim AT 9:36PM
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Friday, March 15 2013
Yeah, that's how it works.
One of my favorite newspapers, the New York Post, published an article this March about rude bartenders in the city, Take This Drink and Shove It, detailing some very offensive interactions between customers and the members of the hospitality industry they encountered. While hedging their criticism by noting that there are plenty of good bars that don't intentionally insult and degrade customers, they gave some examples that are eye-popping in their unmannerly conduct.
One spot in particular, Mayahuel has a charming bartender who declared,
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Posted by Big Angry Tim AT 11:46AM
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Comments
Ace
Posted 11 months ago
Right on, brah! Drink it if it makes you happy, and life is too short to deal with rude people.
Thanks, Ace. I agree with you that rude folks don't really warrant a lot of attention--it could be better spent on drinking.
Cheers
Tim
Bronte
Posted 11 months ago
It ruins palettes? What, are they dipping art supplies in the Stoly?
I know, that one always kills me. But since I am not without sin, and seem unable to edit my own copy at the best of times, I thought I'd leave that one alone.
But for future reference, everybody: PALATE. Thank-you.
Tim
Lisa
Posted 11 months ago
Sometimes, you don't want anything fancy, you just want a gin and tonic. It should not take complex negotiations with a snotty bartender to get it.
Personally, I like vodka, in part because it takes on so many flavors. The only person I judge in the vodkaverse is the guy who thought chocolate chip cookie dough flavored vodka was a good idea. Not someone I want to have a drink with.
Precisely, Lisa: if a barkeep thinks he is there to tell you what you should and shouldn't like, he's in the worng line of work. He should be an art critic or perhaps a wine blogger, two positions where a bloated ego and lack of self-awareness are assets.
Vodka is fine--in fact, last night I went to the freezer and pulled out the bottle of Russian vodka I keep there for friends, and had an icy shot (just research, of course, since this blog made me realise I hadn't had any in so long) and it was crisp, pleasant, oily and heavy. Not bad at all.
But cookie dough or whipped cream vodka? That's really crossing into an area where people are consuming a beverage for sugar and artificial flavours. Fine for them, but I have to think it's not really about the booze at that point.
Tim
David
Posted 11 months ago
Thanks for the interesting read Tim. It's been reiterated here a few times, but I think it's worth repeating that life is too short to not enjoy what YOU like, regardless of other's opinions. I like rum & coke (and Malibu & coke, and rum and cream soda, and spiced rum with...well you get the point), gin & tonic, and the one that everyone seems to look down on...sherry. I like sweet wines too. How anyone could NOT like a nice moscato is beyond me...it's not complex but either is candy, and plenty of people eat candy without being ridiculed.
Just because you appreciate grand, elaborate, and complex things, doesn't mean you can't appreciate simple things as well.
I now step down from my soapbox. Thank you.
My pleasure, David. I couldn't agree with you more. I make my living by telling people how and what to drink (and how to make it themselves!) but that doesn't mean I can tell anyone what they should enjoy, no matter what level of experience I think I have.
And I love your comment about candy: I love a really great Port, or a glass of Sauternes--both are as sweet and as calorically dense as soda pop, so how could I berate somebody for liking Coca-Cola in their rum?
Drag that particular soapbox out any old time, chum.
Tim