A Moment in Life

Three Years Ago Today

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 01:20:00 +0000

Third anniversary of Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. There is a lot of media attention on the disaster in Japan this week; but memory is fast fading away elsewhere. There was no mention of the anniversary in front pages of NY Times or WSJ today; not that I would have expected it. The truth is the people living in the affected areas do not have their normal lives back. The reconstruction work is certainly going too slow where many are still living in temp housing. But I ask myself "what can I really do about it?" I hate to admit it but there is really nothing that I can do. But we can make sure that we do not forget about the disaster and remind ourselves how precious our lives are and count our blessings.

New York - The Transient City

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 03:27:00 +0000

Friends come and go. Some drift apart for no fault of anyone in particular. Some were never meant to be. There are those that endure through the test of time and proximity. But I never fully appreciated the importance of having good, trusting, and long-term friendships until I came to New York.

New York is a great place to meet new people from all walks of life. That's one of the things I love about the city. But the reality is that for many, New York is not the final destination but only a layover in their life's journey. Some come for further education, others come for work, to live the glamor of the city life for a brief moment in their lives, only to go back to their roots hopefully bigger, prouder and more experienced. Many more come for the pursuit of their dreams, and too many of them forgotten never realizing those dreams.

During my years in New York, I've met many new friends. But I've said many good-byes as well. I've come to grips with the fact that this is a fact of life in New York. Over the years, friends have come and gone. I don't dwell on it, but I am reminded of this fact periodically. In reflection, the friends I had 5 years ago are not the same as the friends I have now. Of course there are some friendships that have endured. These are friends in what I call the semi-permanent group; those of us that call New York our permanent home, or at least until we find a better city to live (and its not easy to out do New York). That's not to say or belittle the friendships I have formed and bonded over the years. But as they move on and go back to where ever they came from, only a handful have endured the test of time and distance. Perhaps with Facebook and other SNS, we have a better chance of keeping those friendships (but that's for another time).

This past weekend, I was at a farewell party for a couple friend - whom we've met here in New York and gotten to be good friends. Again, a reminder that friends come and go. Although we had to say good-bye, we also met new friends. I never really liked farewell parties - why would you go to a party to say good-bye? Its usually an excuse to get together and have drinks. But perhaps there is a reason for such a party. Obviously to say good-bye; but it also serves a purpose of making new friendships - a partying gift by the person that's moving on to those that's left behind.

Establishing a livelihood in a new city where you have no friends or family is never easy. And in a transient city like New York, friends that you can trust is most critical to survival.

Is It OK to "Friend" Your Boss or Your Staff From Work on Social Media?

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:32:00 +0000

Podcast is a great innovation. I can download radio programs from Japan and listen to them during my commute every day. One podcast in particular that I listen to regularly is called "Session 22" (and its predecessor "DIG") produced by TBS Radio in Japan. Its a prime time radio talk show where the host interact with guests and listeners to cover variety of hot and trendy topics in Japan. It's a great way for me to keep up with my Japanese as well as to keep up with the current events in Japan.

A recent episode covered a topic of social media (or social networking services / SNS) and workplace. More specifically, the host posed the question whether it is okay to "friend" your boss, your staff, or your colleagues at work on SNS? What surprised me about the episode was the ignorance of the host and the producer of the show. It surprised me enough to prompt me to write it on this blog.

There are variety of SNSs out there, each with its target audience and objective. Twitter is different from Facebook; and LinkedIn has its niche focus different from Google+. But the host completely ignored that these SNSs are different and treated them as one big SNS service. He went on to discuss whether it is okay to "follow", "friend" or "connect" with someone from work on SNSs. He missed the boat complete on this. I would have focused the discussion on the fact that there are distinctions among the SNSs; so here are my take on some of the major SNSs.

Twitter - its a tool to broadcast information in an open forum to the whole Twitter community; therefore, its more a place to gather and share with the broader community of similar interest. Now, I can enhance my "The Amazing Race" experience by sharing the moment with thousands of other viewers at the same as each episode is aired using #TheAmazingRace hashtag.

Facebook - its a tool to stay engaged with network of friends that you interact with in the real physical world. That may be with your family, your friends from school, and yes, your friends from work. But you would "friend" those from work only if you would also interact with them outside of work and share your private life with.

LinkedIn - its a tool to network with professionals in your field of work. This is where you should be "connected" with your boss, staff or colleagues.

You may have noticed that each SNS is a tool. Each time we have any SNS related discussion, it is important to remember that SNS is a mere tool available to us as a convenience to enhance the real physical world we live in. It is true that SNSs exist in virtual reality; but its not a separate and apart from the real physical world; but rather its still a part of the real physical world and should be viewed as a mean to an end.

I go back to my earlier comment that each SNS has its own audience and objective. If we focus our discussion on the distinctions, then the question of whether its okay to "friend" someone from work becomes irrelevant.

Two Years Ago Today

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Two years ago today, the world as we know it changed. The Great East Japan Earthquake changed the lives of many directly impacted not only by the earthquake, but the tsunami and the nuclear meltdown. It also impact millions more in their own way.

I remember that day very well. The pictures of the tsunami destroying everything in its path as if they were made of paper. Then the pictures of explosions at the nuclear plants. Unimaginable and yet it was happening live in Japan of all place. But I also remember that day very well because that was the day that we learned we would be parents. It was as if many lives were taken; but one life was given to us.

As time passes, the memories fade. We move on with our lives, slowly forgetting how we felt, how the devastation impacted us, and forgetting that there are many who are still struggling to recover and rebuild. Only to be reminded by the sensationalism show put on by the media on each anniversary.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon each of us to remember in our own way so that the lives lost and impacted were not in vain but that we pass on the history to our future generations with hopes for better tomorrow.

We are reminded every day as we watch our Hope grow, how we wish her to be the type of person that brings hope and joy to others.

March 11, 2013

BlackBerry, Android, or iPhone... The Sequel

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 04:11:00 +0000

A while back, I wrote a blog on my assessment of each of the three mainstream smartphones that were out in the market at the time. I think its time for a sequel.

I still have the BB - mainly used for receiving/sending work related e-mails and keeping work related calendars - although not much action here. iPhone is my device of choice and I won't leave home without it. As for my Android phone, my one-year old daughter uses it as her toy phone; although she is quickly catching on that this phone doesn't work. She rather use my iPhone.

BlackBerry 9000 Torch

The phone is fast becoming useless. The battery life between charges is shorter than a mayfly. Lucky if this thing lasts through my morning coffee run. I could get a new battery - which is by the way one of the positives about BB, where I can actually change the battery on my own. But then the phone is not worth spending another $60 to keep it alive any longer than I have to.
BlackBerry World is slow and prone to crash. Besides, its useless without desirable apps. 100,000 apps can't complete with 800,000.
There is very little support for the apps that I have, so I deleted most of them since I don't use them anymore and were using up my precious memory.
Getting sick of seeing hour glass flipping over and over again.
Should I upgrade to BlackBerry Z10? It does look appealing; but my firm will not support BB10, or at least not for a while until they get comfortable that the investment to upgrade the enterprise servers to BB10 is worth the cost and effort.
Verdict: BB is waiting for its slow death and it eventual resting place - in my daughter's toy bin.

Android - SonyEricsson Xperia X10

Haven't used it in over a year.
SonyEricsson does not exist anymore; its Sony now.
If close to 40% of the smartphone users are choosing Android phones, then it must be doing something right. I see more and more people using the Samsung Galaxy III. But in my opinion, they don't look all the pretty; too big and too curvy. At the end of the day, I still think that Android phones have too many bells and whistle that most users do not need and use up too much memory and power.
Verdict: I passed my verdict long time ago and I stand by it.

iPhone 4S

My iPhone is the device of my choice. I use it for all my calls, apps, etc., except for work related e-mails and scheduling. I am considering switching my work related e-mails and calendar to iPhone. Good apps does not appeal to me - not so user friendly. But I'm willing to consider living with some inconveniences. For now, the only real downside (beside having to carry two devices) is that my calendar in BB don't sync up with my calendar on my iPhone.
The apps for iPhone are the latest and the greatest - we get more of them and the best of them.
I'm glad that they got Google Maps for iPhone. One thing that I did not like about the iOS6 upgrade was the Apple Maps. Can't complete with the number of years Google spent developing their maps.
iPhone 5 upgrade? Maybe. But I haven't found any reason to upgrade, except perhaps the bragging right - to say I have the latest gadget. Sure, it runs on 4G LTE. But the speed isn't all that noticeably different from the current 4G; did an unscientific test with a friend and wasn't all that different. I can wait another 6 months for the next iPhone to decide whether to upgrade or not.
Verdict: I'm now a true Apple convert. There, I said it.

I recently cracked the screen on my iPhone 4S. I did not buy insurance so I had to replace it on my own. With iPhone 4S, the glass comes with the digitizer attached to the glass so it was expensive and much harder to replace the screen. But with some helpful guidance from iCracked.com, got the screen replaced this past weekend. Its good as new now. Better looking than how my BB looked after one year. I must say, it is hard to wear out iPhone's looks. Furthermore, learned that it is very easy to replace the battery on the iPhone as well. Probably I'm breaching a covenant on my warranty so that the device is no longer covered. But I'll replace it with iPhone 5 if this thing breaks anyway.

Sidewalk Hoggers between Me and My Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:17:00 +0000

One of my pet peeves is what I call the "sidewalk hoggers." We walk a lot in New York City. Yes, we hail yellow cabs, we ride on the subway, and we ride the bus. But generally, we don't think much about walking 15 to 20 city blocks. Naturally, sidewalks are the equivalent of highway for automobiles. You heard it right - highway. We want to get from point A to point B as quickly as we can. We walk on narrow sidewalks, swiftly navigating through foot traffic, artfully maneuvering through crosswalks, traffic signals and yellow cabs. Oh, and in many touristy areas, we run into the "sidewalk hoggers."

You cannot miss the "sidewalk hoggers." Usually its a family of 4 or 5, or sometimes even more. They walk 4 across (or more) on the sidewalk - pretty much take up the whole width of the sidewalk. The problem is, they are typically walking at leisurely speed, taking in the bright lights big city scene. My Baby M can walk faster than these guys; and she just barely learned how to walk. As for me, I'm late for a meeting with a client on 45th Street but I can't pass and go around the "sidewalk hoggers" because they are blocking all lanes!!! Arghhh!!

It doesn't help that my office is located in the epicenter of Tourist Central (aka Times Square). I have to fight the crowd - tourists - as I come and go from the office. When its 8:30pm and the only thing that's slowing me from my dinner is the tourists, well, I'm not a happy camper.

It is nothing personal - I welcome our guests to the great City of New York. Last year alone, New York City welcomed a record breaking 52 million tourists. According to the city, tourists "generated an estimated $55.3 billion in economic impact to the city’s economy, with direct spending reaching $36.9 billion." So as a New Yorker, I welcome them to our great city. I thank each and everyone of the 52 million, for visiting and willing to spend money on overpriced goods and services. But when they stand between myself and my destination - well, they are not my best of friends.

Back to the "sidewalk hoggers." A four-lane highway typically means that slower traffic yield to the faster traffic by staying on the right lane. Remember what I said about sidewalks being the equivalent of highway for New Yorkers? Well, here too, we would like to have slower traffic yield to the side and allow the faster traffic to pass.

Oh, and by the way; its is not cool to suddenly stop in middle of the sidewalk without any warning, just because you want to take a picture with Naked Cowboy. No one in their right mind would stop the car in middle of a highway just to take picture of a burning car on the side street. I'm quite sure that's a moving violation - (or stopping violation)?

When I Opened a Bottle of ...

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:25:00 +0000

When is the perfect time to open that special bottle of wine? That was a topic of conversation recently with friends as we dined and wined - one of our favorite past time. In fact, we were enjoying a special bottle - courtesy of the friends - as we talked about the very topic.

As wine enthusiasts, we all have few of these special bottles sleeping in our cellar. It might be a bottle of 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild, a 1971 birth year vintage red from California, a bottle of the wine served at your wedding, or a bottle of wine with special memory. Or it just might be bottles from your favorite winery that you are keeping for special occasions. We buy these bottles with excitement, anticipation and high expectation; yet we find reasons to force ourselves to defer the ultimate enjoyment of actually tasting the wine and let them sleep in our cellar until that perfect moment that we hope can live up to the high expectation. The truth is, the more we wait, the harder it becomes to open these bottles, because they become too special to be opened. We allow the wine to play the leading role and find ourselves trying to create the perfect setting to match the wine.

As I look back, some of my most memorable special wine moments were memorable because of the people and the story that we shared while drinking the wine. Its not so much about the wine that I remembered, but the stories shared and friendships made because of the wine; and because of the stories and friends, I also remember the wine. The special wine became memorable because it stepped aside from its leading role and stepped back into a supporting role; but paradoxically it ended up being the shining star.

Just the other day, I opened and drank a bottle of 2000 Niebaum-Coppola Estate Cabernet Franc with friends. It was an ordinary weekend evening, nothing special about it, except that we were enjoying the evening shooting the breeze. We were very much delighted with the wine and will always remember that evening. I'll remember the wine not because it was a special wine; not because it was the right moment; but because we can now share stories about the evening with friends.

Few years ago, I was visiting Tokyo to see Wife M (before she became Wife M). We were dating long distance - Tokyo/NY - and it was my turn to travel. We had dinner at a French restaurant at the top floor of a skyscrapers near by Tokyo Station. Our table had a stunning view of the Imperial Palace. Obviously, it was a special evening and I remember it well, although the food was forgettable. I also remember the evening quite well because we opened and drank a bottle from my favorite winery that I had brought with me from NY - a bottle of 2005 White Rock Claret. We still talk about that evening, how we had the restaurant to ourselves at the end of the meal and how we had a pleasant conversation with the restaurant's sommelier about the wine - even past their closing time.

Its not about the right moment. With wine - whether special or not - it is always the right moment as long as you have someone to share it with. It could be on an ordinary weekend with friends or could be with someone special with an added bonus of a sommelier. Wine is meant to be drunk. So what's holding us from opening those special bottles? Nothing - go out and drink up.

Back to the wine at a family friend's home. It was a wonderful Napa Valley Cab. Full bodied but needed some time to breath. But after it had some time to inhale, it really opened up. Loved the wine. But I will always remember the moment, because of the stories and friendship that the wine brought; but would not have remembered if we were there because of the wine. Thank you A&H!!

Valentine's Day - What Women Want...

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 04:54:00 +0000

Valentine's Day 2013.

Everywhere I look, I'm constantly reminded that Valentine's Day is fast approaching. WSJ had an article or two everyday for the past week reporting on the business of romance. Every other banner ad is by 1-800-FLOWERS reminding me to send flowers to my Valentine. FB asked me whether I wanted to surprise my Valentine by sending a $1 cookie. Bakeries (oops, sorry patisseries) are sending me e-mails about their special Valentine's Day gift boxes of sweets. Oh, and can't forget Open Table, kind enough to send me a list of restaurants in the area with tables available two days before Valentine's Day. There is no doubt that expectation is building up for men to do something special for women in their lives.

This all begs the question: do women really want what the commercialized material world is telling men what we are expected to give to our Valentines? Two dozen long-stem red roses that arrives in a FedEx box? A box of chocolates from Duane Reade? A romantic dinner where the chef has already decided the menu for the night and boot you out after 2-hour dinner so that they can get through another seating? Lingerie that never gets worn except once?

What do all of the above have in common? They are universally accepted methods of expression of our love and appreciation to the women we love (maybe not the last one). By the act of purchasing and presenting these gifts, we are telling women that we love them enough for us to go out of the way to make them feel special on this special day. But don't we express our love and appreciation regularly, even on not so special days? Maybe not in the form of gifts and dinners, but certainly in other ways, we let women know how much we love them. If so, do we really need to do something special once a year just to please the material world that we've conformed to the commercialized society?

This all sounds logical to me. Why do I need to do something special once a year when I let my Valentine know that she is loved every day. But the reality is - love can never be explained or understood by logic. So back to the question, what do women really want for Valentine's Day? They want to be reminded that they are loved and make them feel special - even if its done everyday, it is never one too many - whether the methods are conventional or unconventional, or submitting to what's expected by our peers and society. But then what do I know about what women want?

I'm going to check 1-800-FLOWERS to check what the extra service charge is to order flowers the night before Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

BlackBerry, Android, or iPhone...

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:06:00 +0000

Now that I've used my first iPhone for close to a month, its time for me to compare it with Android and BB. I've been a BB user for over six years. As for Android, I own a SonyEricsson Xperia X10 but used it for about eight months before it went out of commission and haven't used it since. More on that later. So what do I think about each? Here it goes.

BlackBerry 9000 Torch

My firm only began to support non-BB devices recently. So by necessity, I've been using BB for work.
Having the keyboard is definitely a plus.
BBM - the best mobile instant message apps. Too bad it's only supported within the BB platform and BB users are quickly diminishing. Hello WhatsApp.
Easier access and better sync with work related e-mails.
OS is slow - takes for ever to switch open or close apps and eats up memory quickly.
Browser is a piece of shit - not worth spending the time to surf the web. It takes forever to download pages and when they do, can't read easily

Android: SonyEricsson Xperia X10

It does have the look and feel of an iPhone; but it ain't an iPhone.
Not as user friendly as iPhone; but, allows the user to customize the phone more to his/her liking. This means that if you have the time and the know how, you can customize a lot of the features on the phone to fit your needs. This also means that an average user will not be able to use half of the features on the phone.
Google kept coming out with newer versions of the OS; but SonyEricsson was always slow in rolling out the upgrades to its phones; and ATT further delayed the roll out to its branded phones. So I had to flash my phone to get the upgrades.
Crashes too often, especially if I ran one too many apps. Sometime crashed over 10 times a day, which was the reason why I stopped using it, even before my contract expired. Maybe partially due to the fact that I flashed my phone with upgrades without ATT's approval, which is also the reason I didn't go to ATT to get the phone fixed.
Never will I get SonyEriccson phone (now Sony); and, not likely to get Android phone either.

iPhone 4S

Made me appreciate perfectionist Steve Job's insistence of design and user friendliness.
There is not much you have to do to set up the iPhone; most of its features, etc. are already decided for you; which may be frustrating to some who wants to customize, but because this product was very well thought out - it is so easy to use and the features that are build in are those features that we would want and use.
OS is excellent - transition is smooth without noticeable lag
Browser is 100 times better than BB - quick and fast and makes web surfing relatively easy
Camera - again, its very quick and you don't notice any lag between pictures (unlike other phones where each time you take a picture, you have to wait for 2 second for the camera to process the image - that 2 seconds can feel like eternity).
If you have a large iTune collection, you really need the iPhone.
Display - everyone is talking about Galaxy SIII with its 4.8 inch screen. I kind of like iPhone's 3.5 inch screen. Any larger screen and the phone will be too wide for me to carry on one hand comfortably. In this case, bigger doesn't necessary mean better.
Frame is solid.
Siri - well, we don't get along too well, too many misunderstandings. Let's hope she will improve over time.
Lack of physical keyboard is definitely a negative; but, I guess I'll have to get used to the virtual keyboard. With iPhone, I can live with that.

Needless to say - I really enjoy my iPhone. It will be interesting when BB 10 comes out. Will I upgrade my 9000? Stay tuned.

Adventures in Finding a Babysitter

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:49:00 +0000

Back in the late 80's, there was a movie called "Adventures in Babysitting" starting Elisabeth Shue. Remember her? She was in Karate Kid and Back to the Future II & III. Probably better know for her role in Leaving Las Vegas, which got her an Oscar nomination. Back to "Adventures in Babysitting". The plot was simple. A suburbanite teenage girl starts her boring weekend evening with a couple of kids she's babysitting. One thing leads to another and they end up having an adventure of their lives as they they navigate through the city ghetto.

I was reminded of that movie recently when the Wife and I were interviewing for our Baby H's babysitter. Now, the adventure was our, as we looked for a babysitter. Never appreciated how difficult it is to find a good babysitter, especially in the city. It's not like in the suburbs where you can hire the neighbor's kid to look after our Baby H. Most of our neighbors are young couples. The adventure starts with asking our friends, looking for ads, posting ads... basically, have to comb through strangers to find someone we can trust with our baby girl. Not an easy task to say the least.

We interviewed three candidates - and luckily for us, we found someone that we liked.

First candidate - she was a dancer from Japan. In her mid to late 20's. She looked responsible. But didn't strike us as really excited about being a babysitter. She was referred to us by a family friend. Immediate first impression was just not good. We weren't sure whether she liked kids or not. At best, she was indifferent. But she had babysitting experience. We had our doubts. After the interview, asked her for a reference, to which she did not take too well and wondered why we needed a reference. Did not go well, obviously.

Second candidate - he was also a dancer from Japan. He wasn't really a serious candidate. He went to the same school as the Wife in Japan. I guess we can say he is a family friend. But no experience with babysitting. I can see he likes kids. One of his dream is to go back to Japan and become a teacher. That passion alone will not convince us to trust the life of our Baby H to him.

Third candidate - now, she really impressed us. Immediately when she came to our house and introduced herself, she went straight to Baby H and began playing with her. Really energetic and you can tell she loves kids. She is a professional. She works for one of the nursery/daycare in the city. She is studying for her doctorate degree in early child development. And she wants to open her own nursery/daycare in the city. What really impressed us is that she wanted to see the Wife feed Baby H, put her to sleep, and the whole evening routine. She wanted to observe so that if and when she baby sit for us, she knows what to do and what not to do - to keep Baby H within her daily routine and her comfort zone. We were sold. Needless to say, she is our babysitter.

How did we come across this great babysitter? Our family friend's baby girl goes to the daycare that the babysitter works at. I do consider us lucky to have found a babysitter relatively easily.

The Halal Guys

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:22:00 +0000

53rd and 6th Halal Cart, also known as the Halal Guys. I've heard about them. I've seen the long line that forms on southwest corner of 53rd and 6th in Midtown. Everyone lined up for their chicken and/or lamb on rice with special white and hot sauces. You see a lot of street vendors in NYC. Apparently, not all of them are the same. The Halal Guys is apparently the best of the best.

I finally had the chance to try the halal on 53rd and 6th. Meat on rice is $6 a plate - and you get a very generous portion of meat (either chicken or lamb; or you can ask for a combination) over yellow rice. It also comes with few pieces of pita bread and a garnish of iceberg lettuce. You don't want to forget the white sauce and the hot sauce on the side.

My thoughts on chicken and lamb on rice.

1). I like the fact that lamb meat is diced. You can taste the meat better, which is quite tender.

2). It is nice that they give you the sauces on the side - so that you can adjust as you like it. Go easy on the sauces.

3). Hot sauce is very very spicy. You'll feel it till the next day.

4). The portion is HUGE. I ate the whole thing - but regretted later in the night. That was a lot of food for $6.

Overall, its one of the NYC experiences. If you are out late at night after few drinks, this is a good place to stop by for some cheap food before heading home. Like going for ramen noodles when you are out late in Tokyo. Definitely, for $6/plate, it is good eats!

Why I Pay Premium for Top Brand Name Goods

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:34:00 +0000

I love my Tumi carry-on roller luggage. It's six years old. It's been to all corners of the globe, well not quite all but it has taken a lot of abuse. It usually fits nicely in airplanes' overhead compartment. But there are times when it has to sit alone down in the baggage compartment - especially when I want to take bottles of wine or shochu with me or when my contact lens solution doesn't quite fit nicely in a 3oz bottle.

Yes, it was expensive compared to similar sized roller luggage, but I thought "why not"? I look good with a Tumi; and besides, I've always wanted to be a cool frequent traveler with my Tumi luggage dutifully following me quietly behind me as I walk through famous airport terminals of the world - the likes of Changi, Heathrow, JFK, Charles de Gaulle, Incheon, Narita, and O'Hare.

So I was very disappointed and distraught when coming back from our vacation last summer from Florida, the airline temporarily borrowed my Tumi for a couple of days and had the nerve to return it to me (no pun intended) with pieces missing. That's right, my Tumi had one of its wheels torn out and missing. To make matters worse, by the time I discovered the damage it was past the 24-hour window the airline allowed o report and file a claim - 24 hours since the luggage was delivered to the concierge in our apartment building. Believe me I called and tried but with no avail. That was

The damage didn't look that bad. Perhaps all I have to do was to replace the wheels. So I dropped in at the Tumi store near our apartment and explained what happened. They said to bring in my Tumi and they'll send it to the main repair facility somewhere down in the South. The repair center will assess the damage and give me an estimate of the cost. That was last fall and I never got around to actually lugging (note: the wheel is missing) my damaged Tumi to the store.

Finally, I got around to taking my damaged Tumi to the store last month. The clerk assessed the damaged, filled out the work order, and asked for $20 (handling and shipping). I should get it back in 2 to 3 weeks. Well, it was actually more like 5 weeks. I called the repair center (at the number the Tumi store gave me) to check on the status. The parts were delayed so it took longer than usual - but its not fixed and my Tumi is on its way back to New York. Oh, and by the way, its no charge to me. That's right, I don't have to pay anything to get this fixed (except for the $20 handling fee I paid the Tumi store).

My Tumi arrived last week. All fixed up with a new set of wheels and a new handle. It gave me good six yeas and now I can get another six years out of my Tumi.

Products from top brand name do cost more. But you get "something" in return for the premium you pay. It could be excellent customer service, it could be unbelievable support, it could be the quality of the product, it could be the best overall customer experience, or a lifelong relationship. For many (although may not admit it) it could simply be the conspicuous showing of your wealth. Whatever that "something" is for a particular consumer, its worth the premium to purchase the good because the customer see the value of the "BRAND". The more consumers see that value, the more valuable the "BRAND" gets. It takes investment of time and money to build up the value of the "BRAND"; and requires continuous investment to protect that value because it can easily be devalued. There are brand owners who see the importance of investment; then there are also many brand owners who do not see that importance.

As a consumer, I pay the premium for the "BRAND" because I'm investing in the "BRAND" so that over time, I get that "something" in return. The tough part (as in any investment) is to discern what brands are worth investing in.

... or maybe I pay the premium because, damn it, I can and I just want to flaunt my wealth.

Aureole: New York

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:50:00 +0000

Search for a restaurant for our first date night began only after we secured a baby sitter. We didn't want a restaurant that was far from our apartment; yet, we didn't want a place too close (although there are many within walking distance). The search got even narrower when we went to OpenTable to look for restaurants with available tables on the particular date and time our baby sitter is available. So began our first date night adventure.

We narrowed it down to Aureole: New York - the flagship restaurant of Charlie Palmer. I had lunch there once at the Bar Room and recall thinking that I needed to come back for dinner. The restaurant moved here from their former Madison Avenue location when One Bryant Park opened summer of 2009. The location is prime - a block from Times Square and Bryant Park with never ending foot traffic.

The space is separated into the Bar Room and the Dining Room - a set up that you see in most high end restaurants these days. In the front of the house is the the vibrant Bar Room - an open space with high ceiling which probably helped to absorb the noise; and floor-to-ceiling window facing the 42nd Street. Then in the back is the Dining Room. Lower ceiling and dimmed lighting made it cozy but with sufficient noise to feel the energy.

We went for the 5-course Dinner Tasting.

First Course - HAWAIIAN HAMACHI

avocado, pineapple, yuzu citrus, baby red shiso

Second Course - SCOTTISH LANGOUSTINE

basque peppers, potato gnocchi, sauce bouillabaisse

Third Course - BLACK BASS

mussels, purple potatoes, mustard greens, tomato

Fourth Course - PRIME NY STRIP

leeks, hens of the woods, potato puree, natural beef jus

Dessert - PINEAPPLE BAKED ALASKA

coconut, mango, passion fruit

The bouillabaisse sauce in the second course was quite memorable - you can taste the vastness of the ocean all squeezed into a couple of spoonful sauce on the plate.

Black bass was cooked to perfection - the skin side charred just the right amount so that you can feel the crunch when you bite into the skin; yet the meat was moist with the broth from the mussels.

Potato puree with the beef dish had a hint of wasabi, reminded me of Japanese style beef steak with wasabi soy sauce. They go quite well together - wasabi and beef. Maitake mushrooms (or also know as hens of the woods) on the plate added to the aromatic experience of the dish.

I couldn't quite figure out what the dessert was. I didn't know what a baked Alaska was - so I had to look it up when I got home. According to Wikipedia, "Baked Alaska (also known as glace au four, omelette à la norvégienne, Norwegian omelette and omelette surprise) is a dessert made of ice cream placed in a pie dish lined with slices of sponge cake or Christmas pudding and topped with meringue. The entire dessert is then placed in an extremely hot oven for just long enough to firm the meringue." I actually enjoyed the contrast in the creamy texture of the ice cream and the fluff meringue.

Overall, the portions were just about right for a tasting menu. Each course had solid base; but with touches of Asian flavors to lighten the dishes.

The Dining Room was full when we were seated, I suspect with the theater crowd. When we left, it was probably 1/3 full. Not sure if it got full again with late crowd.

Very much enjoyed the dining experience. The food was not extraordinary; but it was not forgettable either. I'm sure to come back again, if not for dinner, for lunch.

Aureole

One Bryant Park

135 West 42nd Street

New York, NY 10036

Tel: 212.319.1660

http://www.charliepalmer.com/Properties/Aureole/NY/

Rat Race in NYC - Extrovert v Introvert

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 03:04:00 +0000

Some of us really enjoy the lifestyle that NYC has to offer. Living in the center of global activities and one of the biggest (if not the biggest) metropolitan cities in the world. Then there are some of us who would never think of living in a city like NYC. Perhaps visiting the city once every five years to take in the sights, enjoy a show or two, dine/wine at a 4-star restaurant, and indulge in shopping; but one week is enough and would rather go back to the slower and quieter lifestyle.

There's no doubt in my mind that to live and survive in NYC, you have to participate in the rat race - whether at work, in the neighborhood, within the play date circle, or with the social circuit. It can be tiring and can wear you out.

I was reflecting back on a client dinner I had, as I walked back to my office today. It's always fun to get together with clients over drinks, dinner, or lunch. Gets me energized to take on more challenges. Its the same when I'm with friends on the weekends. Whether its drinks at a scotch bar, wine party at home, roof top hang out, I do enjoy spending time with people and it energizes me.

So what does it have to do with rat race? I'm entertaining the idea that my survival in NYC has something to do with the fact that I'm actually an extrovert. The reason that I'm still enjoying the NYC after over six years must be because I enjoy being with people and it energizes me to helps me survive the rat race. I have always thought of myself as an introvert. But if "extrovert" is defined as "a person who's energized by being around other people," then there's definitely a part of me that is an extrovert; and that's the secret of my success.

I'm not suggesting that if you don't like the lifestyle in NYC, you are an introvert. But being an extrovert does help to adjust to the fast paced rat race that NYC is.

... or maybe its just the alcohol that's doing its magic to ease the pain and suffering from the race. ... no, I do really enjoy the life that NYC has to offer.

A Moment in the Life of ...

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:54:00 +0000

Birth of a child will completely change your perspective on life; my friends reminded me repeatedly during the 10 months leading up to the birth. Conceptually, I understood what they were saying. But it never really hit you until you come home from the hospital with the little precious baby who is barely learning how to breath on her own.

My life has always been about living my life for what I want it to be - to achieve success at work, with family, and every other ways the world defines success. Blame it on ambition, motivation, drive for success, or peers. How has it changed? I come to realize that there's another perspective on life - that it is okay to live my life for what it is. What's the use if in the pursuit of happiness, I miss the moments that make life it self. It's all about living the life for what it is; and experience, enjoy and take in every moment. Then and only then will I achieve the life that I want it to be.

I began writing blogs back in 2006, although not updating diligently as I would have liked to or should have. Back then, it was all about the life of wine and dine in NYC. But its now time for me to re-launch my blog with expanded scope - to reflect my new perspective on life. If I discipline myself to write to captures those moments, it will help me to experience and enjoy the same.

So here we go.

A moment in the life of me!

"To Cork or Not To Cork" by George M. Taber

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:52:00 +0000

I admit. I'm biased toward natural cork. There is mystique associated with the ritual of cutting the foil wrap, inserting the cork screw, and pulling the cork out; the ritual is filled with anticipation and excitement of discovering how the wine inside the bottle has aged to its fullest potential. Its really the way to enjoy the art of wine. With the mystique and anticipation also comes with disappointments. Yet, that is all part of the art of wine experience. It does not matter whether the ritual is held at Per Se, at Applebee's, at home, or outside patio on a midnight summer. The ritual is not complete without natural cork; or said differently, there is no mystique in opening a bottle of wine like you would a bottle of Coke.

This was before I read "To Cork or Not To Cork" by George Taber.

It was few years ago that I read another Taber's books: "Judgement of Paris". I'm a Taber fan now, having read two of his books. I'm impressed with how Taber can write books on wine with passion and excitement yet without a hint of arrogance that the very topic brings to the masses.

Taber brought the debate of cork or non-cork to a whole new level. He's void of any bias or preconceived notion one way or the other on this debate. He covered different types of stoppers - from natural cork, composite cork, synthetic cork, glass stopper, screw tops, and other types - with as much science that one can bring to the art of wine experience.

It was an eyeopener for me to see how wide-spread the issue of "corked" wine is in the industry. It was educational to read what we know about "corked" wine and what we don't know. Now with more knowledge of the science of wine experience, you appreciate more the art of wine experience. The debate will go on for at least another generation or two. We will not likely to see any clear winner in this debate.

Based on what we know today, I'm a bit more knowledgeable about the science of wine experience to better appreciate that to enjoy the art of wine experience, we sometime have to do away with rituals and traditions and challenge something new; because there is always new discoveries that can awe us.

Cho Dang Gol

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:56:00 +0000

There are many Korean restaurants to choose from along 32nd Street. Less known is that there are good Korean restaurants along 35th Street as well as we discovered. Cho Dang Gol is on such restaurant known for its home made tofu. In the back of the restaurant are large pots that are used to make fresh tofu. The place is always packed with patrons and at peak time, there is a long queue.

We ordered tofu kimchi soup, stone bowl bibmbap with bulgogi, and korean pancakes (chijimi). The side dishes were very refershing in that they were not all different versions of kimchi. Tofu soup was mild, not too spicey, and full of soft tofu. Very tastey. Chijimi was more vegetables than batter, which we liked because it brought out the flavor of the vegetables and kimchi. The rice bowl was taste and mild. The best stone bowl bibmbap in New York so far.

The staff was attentive and quick; and no non-sense service. A bit on the pricey side for a Korean restaurant but it was worth it. We'll certainly go back again.

55 West 35th Street (between 5th and 6th)

New York, NY 10001

(212) 695-8222

http://www.chodanggolny.com/

Soba Totto - Sequel

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:56:00 +0000

Recently, I went back to Soba Totto for dinner. Although my prior visit was not the best experience, the soba noodle was good so I decided to give it another try.

What I learned was that the restaurant does not take reservations for parties of less than four. I had three in my group, so the restaurant simply told me that I will have to come to the restaurant to get a table. I did not think too much at the time since it was a dinner with few of my good friends. But, I would not use the restaurant for any client dinner or dinner with important guests. Sure, if I have four or more in the party, it looks like the restaurant will take reservations. But I could not quite understand the reason there. For important dinners, I need to know that I can secure a table so that we can get seated. Next time, I may ask why. Certainly, I would not come back for any important dinner.

As for the dinner, we were asked to wait at the bar until everyone in the party was there. So we had to wait for about 10 minutes until everyone was in the restaurant. But we got seated with no further problems. There staff was friendly and did not get the order wrong this time. Everything on the memu were available this time. I was a bit surprised that the each portion size was small - small even for Japanese standard. Perhaps we did not notice this the last time since we were more focused on getting the right food to begin with. We orderd different kinds of yakitori and few other dishes. Nothing to fuss about. Ordinary yakitori.

The soba was good. But the rest of the food was so so. Luckly, Aburiya Kinnosuke is only a few minute walk away. So next time, I'm inclined to have dinner at AK, then perhaps stop at Soba Totto for a quick soba noodles to finish the evening.

Soba Totto

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 06:11:00 +0000

Eating "soba" noodles on New Year's Eve is a Japanese tradition. For 2006, we went to Sobaya in East Village to close out the year. But we were not overly impressed. So as 2007 came to an end, we wanted to try a different noodle shop in Manhattan. When we heard about the opening of Soba Totto in Midtown-East, we thought we'll give it a try and made a reservation.

Soba Totto is the fourth restaurant in New York opened by the company that owns/manages Yakitori Totto, Toris, and Aburiya Kinnosuke. It goes without saying that our expectation was quite high. And the rumor had it that the restaurant went to Japan to bring a well regarded "soba shoku-nin" to run the kitchen.

When we went, the restaurant had been opened for a week. So the service was not fully polished; which was expected. At the same time, the restaurant is a sister restaurant to the other three establishments - all with good reputation. So they should be experienced with opening restaurants in Manhattan.

Although we initially went to have soba noodles, we decided to order yakitori as well after reviewing the menu. But when we tried to order, a lot of the yakitori items was "sold-out." For example, nankotsu, tebata, kimo, and others were not available that night. Perhaps we should have stopped there and stuck with our original plan to simply have soba noodles. But we didn't and tried to have some that were available - tsukune (tare and shio), mune, and karaage. To finish the dinner, we order zaru-soba.

Tsukune (tare) and mune came soon after we ordered. They were both good - tender meat and cooked well. But then the problems started. The staff began to bring items that we did not order. Then our zaru-soba came before we got our other orders. We asked them to take back the zaru-soba and bring our other orders first (yes, we were picky about the order in which we eat our food, especially to finish everything with soba noodles). Then we waited, waited, and waited. Asked about our orders and they kept saying "soon." After about 30 minutes, we finally gave up and asked to cancel the orders, simply to bring our zaru-soba.

When we finally got our zaru-soba, the excitement was gone. Have to admit, the noodles were good. But our whole dining experience was ruined. As we got ready to leave, we asked for the manager for explanation. Apparently, the staff punched in the wrong table number with our order, causing the confusion. Well... the manager did try to compensate us with "complimentary" dessert. But we were not in the mood, so we kindly refused, asked for our check and left.

Oh, and one other thing. The table next to ours was a group of six Japanese people that were very loud the whole time. Understandably, some noise is expected in a place like this. But this table was beyond noise. And to top it off, they got one of the restaurant wait staff to do a "split" (as in both legs going the opposite... a dance routine) right there in the restaurant - right in front of our eyes. The staff apparently was a dancer in New York and one of the guests at the table was also a dancer. But it is simply unacceptable for a staff person to behave this way in a restaurant. Of course we mentioned this to the manager. To their credit, the staff person immediately came to our table to apologize.

Perhaps we should give them the benefit of the doubt as they get their house in order. The noodles were good and would go back again, in spite of the service issues.

Soba Totto211
211 East 43rd Street (between 2nd and 3rd Ave)
212-557-8200

Judgment of Paris by George M. Taber

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:21:00 +0000

I will admit that I have a bias towards wine from California, Oregon, and other U.S. states. Perhaps its out of my sense of patriotism towards things Made in U.S.A.. Or maybe because I learned to enjoy wine with California wine. My first wine experience was with a bottle of Chardonnay from Sonoma. I recall visiting Robert Mondavi winery to learn how wine is made. And it helps that its easier to understand California wine and that California produces some of the best wine in the world.

California wine has long history, long as the history of California. However, it was not always considered top-class as it is now. As I was learning about California wine, I had heard vaguely about a “competition” in Paris in the 1970’s where a bottle of California wine received the top prize. “Judgment of Paris” covers the event itself, the stories behind the tasting, and how the tasting perhaps changed the world of wine. The book was written by George Taber, the only person from the media that covered the tasting.

The tasting took place on May 24, 1976 in Paris. It was not highly publicized leading up to the tasting. It was organized by a wine shop in Paris to show case some of the up and coming California wine. But the panel of judges was prominent figures in the wine industry in France. The result was surprising – where California wine took first place in both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon categories.

The book was written objectively. The author did not take any sides, but rather “reporting” the events leading up to the tasting, how the tasting was conducted, and how it was felt in the wine world. The first half of the book brought to life the stories behind the wine that took first place. These were the stories of winemakers, producers, winery owners that helped make the winning wine at the tasting. The book also covered how New World wine began to be competitive with wine from France and other Old World wine producing countries; perhaps thanks in part due to the tasting. I enjoyed reading the book and learned to appreciate California wine more.

Chardonnay
Chateau Montelena 1973

Cabernet Sauvignon
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973

pinkberry

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 02:21:00 +0000

I recall the “frozen yogurt” boom back in the late 80’s/early 90’s – TCBY boom. The frozen yogurt shops popping up every where, taunting its low-fat low calorie treats. If I recall, they came out with various kinds of flavors – including the usual vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.

Well, it looks like the frozen yogurt boom is back – except this time its with a 21st century flare. A recent boom in Manhattan is pinkberry. This chic/modern minimalist frozen yogurt café seems to be quietly becoming the place to be for the Manhattanites. pinkberry got its start in Korean Town in Los Angeles, which quickly grew to about 10 shops in the area. Then it began its expansion into Manhattan with three stores open so far – SoHo, Korean Town (32nd Street) and UES.

The menu is quite simple. You choose either the plain or green tea flavor frozen yogurt. Then add toppings of your choice – including berries, fruits, nuts, and candies. They also have shaved ice topped with yogurt and toppings and smooties.

The dessert is bit on the pricey side. But then again, it is very good. And refreshing after a nice hearty meal and you don’t have to feel guilty about it – hey its low fat and low calories.

Give it a try.

www.pinkberry.com

Land

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:50:00 +0000

There seems to be a lot of new restaurants popping up along 2nd Avenue in the Upper East Side. One such restaurant is Land, a Thai restaurant serving Northeast Thai cuisine. Land is a second restaurant opened by executive chef and owner David Bank. The sister restaurant is on the Upper West Side, also called Land Thai Kitchen.

Land does not take reservation. So when we arrived at the peak dinner time on a Saturday night, we were told that the wait is about 20-25 minutes. We left our name and a mobile phone number and waited outside. The wait was actually about 15 minutes and we were shown to our table. The dining area was small but cozy – with perhaps room large enough to seat about 50 customers.

The staff was very attentive and friendly. We ordered a papaya salad as a starter and each of us ordered a separate entrée. I ordered the special – grilled tuna with curry sauce and coconut milk served on top of green beans, asparagus, and liche – while my wife ordered cashew nut with chicken. The papaya salad was very spicy to my liking, but to those who does not like too much heat may want to ask for a medium. The entrée came in white serving plate with a side of jasmine rice. The ingredients were quite fresh. And the seasoning was not overwhelming.

The prices were reasonable. The restaurant has BYOB policy. I’m not sure if this is temporary or permanent. But given that the restaurant did not have a bar area, this is probably a permanent policy. We looked around the restaurant and there were many customers with their own bottles. As customers got seated, the wait staff quickly acknowledge the bottles by setting up glasses and offering to open the bottles.

As we left the restaurant, there was a long queue outside. The restaurant was not exceptional, but will be in a list of our weekend restaurants when we want Thai food. Also a good place to come with a group. In fact the restaurant had two large groups.

Land
1565 2nd Avenue (between 81st & 82nd)
New York, NY 10028
(212) 439-1847

www.landthaikitchen.com

The Modern - The Museum of Modern Art

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 04:19:00 +0000

The Modern is a French-American restaurant located at the Museum of Modern Art. The restaurant is a member of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (“USHG”), which includes other well-known places in Manhattan, such as Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, and Shake Shack. Having heard good things about this place, my wife and I decided to have our anniversary dinner at The Modern this year.

The Modern has two distinct dining areas – The Dining Room which features more formal setting with open ceiling area with a splendid view of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden inside the MoMA complex; and The Bar Room featuring more casual but energetic setting and certainly much younger crowd than The Dining Room. Both dining areas showcase the creation of Chef Gabriel Kreuther, which is described as “elegant, creative French cuisine....”Obviously for our dinner, we choose The Dining Room.

We’ve been to many “fine dining” establishments in New York, some of them living up to the reputation while others some what disappointing. The Modern has one of the better ones and thought that it lived up to the hype. We were impressed with the service and delicious food to match the mood and the setting of the restaurant.

We were greeted by a staff assigned to our table with the menu. After taking our drink order (Bellini and Cosmopolitan), he gave us some time to leisurely read the menu. In fact, after we placed our food order, he offered to hold off on putting the order into the kitchen until we had some time to enjoy the cocktails and the amuse-bouches, which was a plate of scooped cucumber ball, goat cheese, and foie gras pâté.

And for dinner, we ordered the Chef Tasting Menu – which comprised of 8-course tasting course. And for me, suggested wine paring with the dinner.

The course included:
1).Melted Goat Cheese Amuse-Bouches
2).Foie Gra Terrine Flavored with Juniper Marinated Raisins, Grilled Country Bread
3).Yellowfin Tuna and Diver Scallops Tartare – Seasoned with American Paddlefish Caviar
4).Roasted Maine Lobster with Buckwheat Angelhair
5).Chorizo-Crusted Chatham Cod with White Coco Bean Puree and Harissa Oil
6).Long Island Duck Breast with Black Trumpet Marmalade, “Fleischneke”, and Banyuls Jus
7).Cheese Plate
8).Dessert

Did not care too much for the foie gra. Bit too much stuff around it. The tartare was quite good and matched well with the saltiness from the caviar. Maine lobster with buckwheat angelhair was an interesting combination. The duck breast was quite meaty. For the cheese plate, they brought a tray full of cheese for us to choose from. The portions on each course was just about right, except for the cheese plate. They were quite generous with the cheese, which we were not able to finish them all.

And for each course, the staff matched it with wine selection. It was quite good. Perhaps it was a bit too much alcohol but nonetheless, very enjoyable. They offered wines from various parts of the world, from Alace to Bordeux, from Virginia to Long Island. And finished it with Port for the cheese plate. Quite an experience and each wine was paired nicely with the meal. One regret is that they did not have a list of the wines served during the meal for me to refer back to.

The presentation of the food, with the wine and the timing were all orchestrated quite well by the waitperson in charge of our table and one additional staff to assist. Again, the service was quite impressive.

When we finished the course, had our espresso, and ready to depart, we had been at the restaurant for over 3 and 1/2 hours. Now, that is a leisurely dinner. One of the more memorable dining experience in New York for sure.

The Modern
The Museum of Modern Art
9 West 53rd Street
(between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 333-1220
Advance reservation strongly recommended. At least two weeks in advance

www.themodernnyc.com

Ultimate Belgian Tasting

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:40:00 +0000

Ultimate Belgian Tasting

A friend invited me to a Belgian beer and food tasting event that was co-sponsored by the Ale Street News and Consulate General of Belgium in New York. It was quite an event. You had to pre-register with your name before the event. You received a ticket which you need along with an I.D. to get into the event. It was held at the Heartland Brewery and Chophouse on 43rd Street.

After we got passed the bouncers in the entrance, we got inside and presented our tickets. Then we got a sampling glass and straight to the tasting. There were over twenty breweries and importers represented, each with their own booth to showcase their beer selections for us to taste. And as we mingled in the crowd, there were staff persons walking around with plates of different kinds of hor'dourve. There were other booths offering different types of Belgian foods like waffles, chocolates, cheese plates and patties. I was told that there were over 500 people who came to the event.

We really enjoyed the event. Never had so many different kinds of Belgian beer before. Typically, Duvel or Stella Artois comes to mind when we think about Belgian beer in the U.S. So it was quite intriguing and also a learning experience for me. It was very good. I particularly enjoyed beer with fruitiness of cherry and apples. You can taste the sweet fruit and yet quite strong with good flavor.

I also enjoyed the food. Tasted Belgian waffles – freshly made in the premise, right off the grill. Was very good. The best Belgian waffles I’ve ever had. Chocolates were good as wells their cheese. So overall it was quite an evening.

A list of some of the beers I tasted during the night.

Chimay Grand Reserve
Orval
Vichtenaar
Affligem Blong
Affligem Tripel
Unibroue 16 (from Quebec, Canada)

"Romance and Theatre" of Starbucks

noreply@blogger.com (etude71) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 23:50:00 +0000

I look forward to my weekend mornings at my neighborhood Starbucks. I enjoy the short walk, carrying reading materials like magazines and Sunday paper, and my notebook computer. Once in the coffee bar, take a look around, secure an empty table, then order a cup of coffee or latte. Once I get settled in, I’m spending the next couple of hours on reading, writing, and reflecting on the week past and on the week ahead. It’s a ritual that I began few years ago in Tokyo and continues on after moving here to Manhattan. It is a great way to clean up my inbox, read my Sunday paper, and write down things to do for the coming week. And the whole atmosphere of the café – the aroma of freshly grounded coffee beans, other patrons enjoying their weekend morning, the noise from the baristas pulling espresso shots by hand – all of these add to the whole ambiance of an Italian neighborhood coffee bar that Starbucks has build its brand and reputation on. It’s the “romance and theatre” of the whole coffee experience.

But is Starbucks losing that “romance and theatre”? The Wall Street Journal printed an article on February 24, 2007 about an internal memo to executives written by Howard Schultz, the Chairman of Starbucks. The memo apparently talked in length about how Starbucks may be losing its “romance and theatre” of the coffee experience. Starbucks has an aggressive expansion plans to grows the number of its global location from current 13,000 to 40,000. It is offering menu items that are not traditional specialty coffee/tea drinks – such as hot breakfast sandwiches. Many Starbucks stores are opening drive-through windows. And others are switching to automatic espresso machines – taking away the sounds and sights of baristas pulling shots by hand.

So do I have to find another place that gives me the “romance and theatre” to enjoy my weekly ritual? Perhaps I may have to. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed exactly what Chairman Schultz was talking about in his memo. Instead of the usual coffee-bean aroma, I smelled something burning. I suspected that it was one of their breakfast sandwiches burning in the oven – guessed from the smell of burnt cheese. If this continues, I will definitely have to think of alternatives. Perhaps start an espresso bar in my own home – to brew my own shots. But it’s not the same – it lacks the “romance and theatre.” I do hope that Starbucks will seriously consider what its Chairman had to say and get back to its roots and keep that “romance and theatre.”