Thursday, June 08, 2006

yes, it was delicious!

one of the many reunions for this month materialised yesterday.

it was pleasant enough. talking about the good old times and the people that we knew, though i can hardly claim to have any memory of the past. as my friend said, "it's hard to reminisce about the past when you can't even remember it." well, that's me and that's my brain. strangely, most of my memories are locked away in some secret chest hidden from my conscious mind and the pathetic part is i've even misplaced the key.

anyway, we had lunch in a cosy restaurant tucked away somewhere near the city centre. the ambience itself was very nice, considering that we were the only people there and had the entire place all to ourselves.

the food, however, wasn't much to shout about. not that it wasn't pleasant, just not impressive enought to warrant a second visit. nevertheless, we ventured into desserts to celebrate my friend's forthcoming birthday. again, the cake and tart were not exactly mouth-watering. infact, she found a piece of cling-film in the cheesecake, which supposedly the chef only started to prepare the very minute we ordered.

our heads bend together in conspiratorial giggles while we criticise the quality of the food and the seemingly lack of control in the preparation of the food. with what must be ghostly footsteps, the rotund owner suddenly appeared from nowhere and enquired if we were enjoying the dessert. our immediate response was "good, good". was it our guilty conscience? or was it just diplomacy and politeness?

many a times, when the tall foreign chef appears in his tall cook's hat, so sophisticated and accomplished, and ask our opinion of the food that we have just tasted, all that we can say is "very good" or "yes, delicious", eventhough we definitely have a comment or two that we can make out of earshot.

is it his astute presence that belittle our own humble opinion? or is it tact and fear of hurting other people's feeling? or simply that we are afraid they will avenge unfavourable comments by an extra spit, or two, in our dessert.

you tell me.

13 comments:

sengkor said...

i think we r not trained in criticising stuff during srp and spm exams.. and we r trained to be polite in the pendidikan moral.

may said...

I'd usually say "it's ok, not too bad"... hahaha! not too bad doesn't mean it's all that good either, yea? ;)

Ianfluenza said...

One very very very crucial thing we all MUST remember:

Never mess with people who handle our food. NEVER.

You'll never know what happens behind the kitchen doors. So treat them nice, make them happy, and they will spare you their sabotage.

Wuching said...

can u teach me how to draw these stick figures?

Admin said...

i tell you.

long long ago, i oso like that. try to be diplomatic. don't offend. but then dunno why, as i got older, i lost this diplomacy. i call a spade a spade now. if the unfortunate chef were to come to my table after serving me less than delicious food, then he is in for a mouthful.

but then taste is very subjective. some like it hot, some like it cold. some like it bland, some like it spicy. So i don't really listen to all those gourmet celebrities saying this taste good if cooked this way, and that taste better if cooked that way. Hey, he is not my tongue. What he is saying is 'HIS' own taste of food.

Likewise if you would have told the chef about your true feelings concerning the food, i bet he will be thinking deep insude that you all are a bunch of 'sua-kus' who dosn't know about fine dining.

have i told enough. Now, now, don't say ahpek is long winded. you ask people to tell you wan mah.

me said...

dear sengkor: o i c. you are so clever lahhh...speaking of which, shouldn't you be studying? heh heh heh.

dear may: so diplomatic. must consider career in politics *grins*

dear ian: same as what i thought. by the way, do you always catch flu?

dear wuching: first, starve yourself until you resemble a skeleton. then, look in the mirror and do a self-potrait. ta dah!

dear ah pek: yah, with age i also find my lips looser. but still, i don't want him to think of me as 'sua ku'. if i say, tart is too sweet, he will say "oh, but tarts are supposed to be so sweet". ah pek not long winded. ah pek passionate about the topic. *grins*

lickoholic said...

I think some people are a pampered lot. Wheew..., enjoying a sumptuous lunch in a cosy nice gourmet restaurant prepared by a foreign chef and yet commenting on the food.

We poor guys unlike you fine people would count it as a blessing if we ever had a chance to lunch at those high end places.

Anyway, we are all unequally created so as to make the world so beautiful.

Fantasy "Sticky" Flier said...

Its just our upbringing as asian to be polite, although what we really want to do is murder the cook for spoiling the food LOL

seefei said...

from the heart my fren...from the heart. too oily, too big serving, texture not to your liking, more vege, prefer spicier, ...fantastic-how long did you take to perfect this dish...my mother can cook better hahahaha

but only say it after all food have been served.

Robin said...

reunion, mean more food and put up more weight :(

Admin said...

if we have been talking about the same Lisa, I just heard that is is awake. Any updates?

Helen said...

I will tell the truth ONLY if the chef asked. lol

Sometimes honesty is the best policy.... but like ian said, make sure u dun go back to the same place. U never know what they'll add... LOL

me said...

dear licky: not pampered, but must be selective about the quality of food we put in our mouth mah. cannot just put rubbish in. the point was that the lunch was not sumptous. keke. you won't count it a blessing if you have to pay for it and eat something not delectable.

dear ff: wah!!! murder somemore. very serious hor.

dear fei: and then never go there again. they prob have the faces of people who complained pinned up somewhere.

dear robin: watching the scales every day.

dear ah pek: she's down south getting better medical care. slightly more responsive than before, very slightly. by being young, hopefully her body will repair. thank you for caring.

dear helen: haha. you would really tell them that the food sucks if they ask?

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