tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42910107109819782032024-02-21T09:18:25.516-05:00The Unhospitality IndustryA forum for disenfranchised, disrespected, and disgusted Hospitality workers from coast to coast.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-15561117602959886052010-06-18T15:00:00.004-04:002010-06-18T17:26:27.154-04:00The Most Mismanaged Restaurant in Which I've Ever WorkedGreetings,
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11631084-1");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}
Its been awhile since I posted. February was my last post, IAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-51158979623818002562010-02-24T14:42:00.001-05:002010-02-24T14:42:53.580-05:00Darwinian Theory in the Restaurant Community Greetings and Salutations,
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
First, the shilling. My latest piece on recycling and waste disposal can be found at www.ecoRI.org. EcoRI Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-28624608648503995772010-02-16T17:09:00.003-05:002010-02-17T02:18:27.953-05:00Misdirected Hostility! That's What You Got! Greetings all,
Well, didn't I stir up a real hornets' nest with my post concerning the discrepancy between buying local produce and hiring illegal labor? I must be doing something right! Here is a response to that post, from the chef at the cafe in question, that I got in a facebook message. All names have been deleted to protect the innocent, and Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-16767493881091063062010-02-09T15:31:00.001-05:002010-02-09T15:41:17.202-05:00Why Doesn't the Providence Urinal Print Bad Restaurant Reviews?Hello all, and welcome back.
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11631084-1");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}
As most of you know, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-49831339548009410272010-02-06T11:49:00.000-05:002010-02-06T11:49:07.247-05:00Vote for my Blog! It Won't Kill You! and Buying Locally, Hiring InternationallyClick here to vote for The Unhospitality Industry for the Phoenix's Best of 2010!
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
This past Wednesday, I was the onsite correspondent for ecoRI.org at Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-39688280705566067792010-02-02T16:20:00.000-05:002010-02-02T16:20:03.285-05:00My Latest Article for ecoRI.org and a Preview of Farm Fresh RI's Local Food ForumHello everyone,
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11631084-1");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}
Here's a link to my latest piece for eco.RI.org. You'll Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-68689469160288225612010-01-28T16:24:00.000-05:002010-01-28T16:24:56.799-05:00Spreading the Blog Love. Don't worry, I've Been Tested. Today, I thought I'd share a few blogs. One of a good friend, and two that I stumbledupon. Be aware, If you click this link, and sign up for stumbleupon, you will waste hours doing absolutely nothing on the interwebs.
First, my friend Emily's blog, Cosmos Creative. Emily is a super talented artist, has great taste in music, collects funky old tins, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-59476479849251630972010-01-26T12:14:00.001-05:002010-01-26T16:36:14.819-05:00The Food-Service-Decor Matrix or How to Review a Restaurant First, let me get the shilling out of the way. Today, my first article in a series was published by ecoRI.org, a RI based environmental news site. Big ups to Frank Carini ,editor in chief, and all around "queso grande" at ecoRI, for giving an untrained, untested, previously unpublished writer a chance. Today's story is pretty straightforward, but I assure you that subsequent Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-25913688696431889592010-01-24T13:14:00.001-05:002010-01-24T13:20:12.124-05:00Anthony Bourdain at PPAC and Raising our Expectations
I heard Anthony Bourdain speak at the Providence Performing Arts Center last night. He speaks how he writes, so it was thoroughly entertaining. After reading "Kitchen Confidential", and hearing him speak last night, I can't help but wonder if he started writing his first book in that moment that any veteran of the restaurant biz has had, probably more than once. The Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-63118529820774831122010-01-23T16:33:00.001-05:002010-01-23T16:33:33.872-05:00Reducing Oil Dependence in the Restaurant One of the best and healthiest ways to cook any food is to sautee it. Sauteeing cooks food quickly, and brings out the natural flavors of food, if it's done properly. There isn't a hint of hyperbole in what I'm about to say. Most restaurants DO NOT sautee properly. They tend to go heavy on the oil.
The term sautee comes from the French sautier- to jump. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-58243247454286546662010-01-20T15:55:00.004-05:002010-01-20T15:58:08.488-05:00Job Fair? More Like Job Melee!
I used to wonder what kind of degenerate loser went to job fairs. Well, today, I was that degenerate loser! Let me say, the face of 10% unemployment in RI is UGLY! The job fair started at 10 AM, and when I pulled onto the Warwick street where the Crowne Plaza is located (approximately 9:45 AM) traffic was backed up for about a quarter mile. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-50724954695101182522010-01-19T13:30:00.002-05:002010-01-26T14:04:00.691-05:00New Year, New Career and You Did What?! Welcome back! It's a new year, a new decade, and I'm still dealing with the SOS. Blogs are good, restaurants are bad! I have gotten two offers to write for websites after sending my blog as an example of my writing. Funny, that after writing it for just a couple of months, my blog has generated more income potential than my fifteen years of restaurant experience, but I digressAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-66559549663518572942009-12-08T12:37:00.001-05:002009-12-08T12:39:19.031-05:00Why I May Never Find A Job I had a job interview last Friday. I thought that it went well, and the owner of the establishment informed me at the conclusion of the interview that I was the front- runner for the position. I didn't ask for exorbitant amounts of money (Ten bucks an hour, plus a percentage of the monthly sales.) I was my normal well spoken, charming, insightful self. I even got a couple of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-55576473499715829182009-12-06T17:44:00.019-05:002009-12-06T21:06:17.742-05:00Curried Butternut and Pear Soup
This is a delicious soup I made on Thanksgiving.
Ingredients1 (2 pound) butternut squash (I used two smaller squashes)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use the pre-chopped.)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
2 firm ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-3492775801049377582009-11-24T13:03:00.002-05:002009-11-24T13:51:23.866-05:00Who is the "Pasta Puncher?" Even He Doesn't Know! Anyone who's been reading my blog has read the story of the "Punching of the Pasta." If not, here's a link.
There were several eyewitnesses to this act of violence and intimidation, including myself, and when the story was relayed to fellow employees at this establishment, not one had trouble believing that the incident in question took Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-5156585150835560232009-11-16T17:45:00.009-05:002009-11-23T10:52:12.480-05:00Two International Crisises: The Business Is Broken, and So Is the Food
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11631084-1");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}
 Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-22251157264915060372009-11-16T13:53:00.001-05:002009-11-16T13:54:25.078-05:00To all Beer and Food Enthusiasts in RI and SE Mass! If you like food and beer as much as I do, you'll be interested to know that this Saturday night, the Westport Rivers Winery and Vineyard in Westport, Mass. will be hosting a Beer Pairing Dinner, sponsored by GreenGal Events and Catering and Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.
"What's on the menu," you might ask? Well, autumn is the time of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-59192171726654054882009-11-12T16:10:00.001-05:002009-11-12T20:33:14.117-05:00Top 100 Employers in MA: Guess Which Industry is not on the List? Welcome back, it's been a while. It's amazing how a seemingly fruitless job search can lead to crippling depression, but I digress. Today's post is inspired by the Boston Globe's Sunday tabloid of "Top 100 Places to Work."
Whilst perusing the tabloid during a particularly distressful evacuation, it occurred to me that of the top 100 jobs in Massachusetts, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-4536086014513886132009-10-29T18:41:00.000-04:002009-10-29T18:41:21.135-04:00Eulogy for a FriendI lost a friend of twenty years today. Sadly, my cat, Tiger died this morning. I've had him since I was fourteen.
In his younger days, Tiger was quite the mouser, and snaker, and birder. I'd come home to the obligatory dead fauna on the doormat. He was the sentry of my compound in the 'burbs. When my mother would go next door, or to the corner store, the cat would follow her, and stand guard Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-12964804251829376792009-10-25T12:40:00.001-04:002009-10-25T12:42:52.313-04:00To the Anonymous Comment from a Reasonable PersonHere is a response to my latest post, from a reasonable restaurant owner:
"We place ads on Craiglist that say no phone calls but people still call. And they call during lunch or dinner hour! We ask people to apply in person. Maybe these places don't want responses by e-mail. Why don't you just show up at the restaurant you want to work at in the morning or Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-70760376362245454792009-10-23T00:21:00.003-04:002009-10-23T00:34:26.096-04:00War of Annoyance or I Should Have Been a Spammer! Welcome back, everyone! I took a few days off from posting to let my rage build up to proper ranting levels. It only took a week!
As you all know, my job search has been less than stellar. I've been sending out resumes on almost a daily basis since the middle of July, and have received three responses that resulted in two interviews and a "No, thank you." Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-33582937012092398272009-10-16T20:15:00.002-04:002009-10-16T20:17:31.700-04:00Internet Hijinx or Finding Your VoiceAnoyone who's read this column of my blog, ------------------>
knows that the whole idea sprung from a frustrated attempt to determine if it's "just me" or the whole industry in which I'd built my career, that was, to use the local vernacular, fucked up. Imagine my relief and pleasure, when responses to my initial ad, and then my blog, have been so positive. Thanks for reading. I'll keep Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-2936235288119694082009-10-15T15:32:00.008-04:002009-10-24T11:41:09.353-04:00Online Business Anonymity and The Reverse Classified In the past five years, craigslist has come to dominate the local job search scene in most major metropolitan areas. Kudos, to Craig Newmark! He found a way to bring (mostly) free, effective advertising to every business and person in America. He also provided a veil of secrecy for employers to hide behind when hiring help.
Let' s take a look at some of the worst offenders,Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-18546320187108239762009-10-14T16:12:00.006-04:002009-10-14T16:23:55.285-04:00Restaurant History and the Rise of the Merchant/ Middle class Today, I thought I would illuminate the history of the hospitality business, and it's inherent link to the middle class. There are a lot of people in this business, and very few know from whence the industry came.
The term restaurant comes from the French, restaurer- v. to restore. Originally used to refer to a hearty soup, the term restaurant was first Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291010710981978203.post-91249176563838313512009-10-13T20:25:00.004-04:002010-01-28T22:27:52.405-05:00RestauRAVE! Howdy everyone. Today I'm beginning a new feature called the "RestauRAVE!" You know, like restauRANT! Corny? Yes! Will I continue? Yes! I love a good pun/ play on words!
Today's "Restaurave!" is for a little diner on 29 Winter St Manville, RI called Lil and Gene's Family Restaurant.
(401) 765-2270
My mom has sworn by this place for Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664945193897948556noreply@blogger.com0