A Difference of Opinion

Unfortunately, I don't travel much. I'm hoping to rectify this in the very near future. When I do make a trip, it doesn't seem to be so much about the sights, as it is about the food. Perhaps it because of all the Food Network that I watched when I was unemployed, or because I'm a stuck up foodie in general, I don't seem to care so much about the tourist traps and really tall buildings, as impressive as they are. I rather photo document what I've eaten opposed to where I've been, which is strange since I do appreciate fine art and architecture, but I guess the best way to get a feel for the local color, is to find the best local food around.

Now with the TV (Food Network and the Travel Channel) and the internet, especially with sites like Yelp!, it's easier and easier to find the best local diners. Of course nothing trumps getting a word of mouth recommendation. Sometimes a restaurant will have a high rating because they make a particular dish well, and that dish, no matter how well made it is, might not be your cup of tea. It's nice to have someone that can tell you exactly what's good and what's not so you can get a better feel for why it's rave-worthy.

Of course, sometimes, you'll get advice from people whose opinions you find suspect and it's hard to shoot down their opinions because food is something that people seem to be very passionate about. That is why you often hear "you have to try this!" opposed to "yeah, it's good but whatevs." Conflicting foodie views have caused friendships to dissolve and have probably caused wars between nations, probably. You know, they're the ones who'll request steak sauce for their steak at a high end steak house or they don't like avocado egg rolls because they lack meat. It's usually not too difficult to separate the foodies from the fakers but it takes a delicate touch to let them know. Unfortunately it's a touch that I don't have.

When I was working retail, a few of my co-workers had returned from a trip to the Bay Area. They weren't guys who I was especially close to or even friendly with, but when they found out that the girl I had started dating lived in the Bay Area, they had no issue with soliciting opinions about where I should go eat. Though I wasn't particularly fond of these guys (one was kind of whiny, one was a brat, and the third one just kind of creeped me out: he once poured out his heart to me saying that the three things that make him happy in life are chocolate, sex, and sailing - good for him), we were at work and I typically put up with these type of conversations to help pass the day.

They raved about one place, and one place only. It was a Chinese restaurant. I don't remember the name of the place, but I remember them giving me a card. To give them credit, it was not a card for PF Changs. I told them I'd talk to the girlfriend about it, but she'd probably knew of some good Chinese restaurants as well, since she was... Chinese. Unfortunately that was not sufficient reason for me to not go to this restaurant. It annoyed me since I was willing to try this restaurant if my girlfriend wanted to, but since this was a new relationship, and she didn't live in San Francisco, I didn't want to demand things. Of course that doesn't matter. We NEEDED to go there.

The fact that my girlfriend was Chinese should've been the biggest tip off to these co-workers that their advice wasn't needed, and I tried to explain this to them. She lived their her entire life, her family and extended family are all in the Bay Area, and the Bay Area has a huge Chinese population, if not the biggest in the United States. Couple this with the fact that my co-workers weren't from the Bay Area and most likely found this place on accident doesn't really help matters. "There was a line going out the door" would be their rebuttal, but isn't everything in downtown San Francisco like that on a weekend around dinner time?

I'm not sure how the discussion ended. I just know I ended up taking the card. We never went to that restaurant and I'm sure I took a lot of flak about it from my co-workers. I'm sure we had discussions about food after that, even though no particular conversations come to mind. I'm sure they still remember the fact that I dismissed their idea, even though I had total justification to do so, since everybody's a critic, even if you they're not.