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most incongruous background music in a restaurant

mongo_jones

By mongo_jones
in Restaurant Life

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mongo_jones

mongo_jones

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recently at a thai restaurant in boulder: all of the first velvet underground album. i didn't object of course: nothing quite takes the anguish out of eating an overly sweet pa-nang curry than "venus in furs" playing in the background.

i instituted inquiries: turns out the young college student staff take turns putting on cds of their choice. in case you're wondering, no we didn't make it all the way till "the black angel's death song". a group of guests finally objected and the velvets made way for the dave mathews band. such is life under late capitalism.

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Fat Guy

Fat Guy

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That reminds me of how in Demolition Man the popular songs of the future are 20th Century commercial jingles.

We've been running this site for well over 2 years, and I marvel every day at the ability of eGulleters to come up with brand new topics.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Some new age song with the sound of the Star Trek transporter effect mixed in at a local Thai restaurant in NJ.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Mayhaw Man

Mayhaw Man

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The burger place at the Parker Meridian. Smashing Pumpkins, followed by sitar music, followed by Johnny Cash, more bizarre stuff that I can't think of.... Really weird mix.

This just goes to show you that weirdness is in the eye of the beholder. I kind of grew up and in live in a musical situation where (to paraphrase Lucinda Williams) at my house playing Charlie Parker, Johnny Cash, Sun Ra, Elvis Costello, and Bing Crosby all in the same mix is considered not only right, but desirable.

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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elyse

elyse

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The burger place at the Parker Meridian. Smashing Pumpkins, followed by sitar music, followed by Johnny Cash, more bizarre stuff that I can't think of....  Really weird mix.

This just goes to show you that weirdness is in the eye of the beholder. I kind of grew up and in live in a musical situation where (to paraphrase Lucinda Williams) at my house playing Charlie Parker, Johnny Cash, Sun Ra, Elvis Costello, and Bing Crosby all in the same mix is considered not only right, but desirable.

Those are a tad more homogenous than what they were playing at the PM. Wish my memory was better. Maybe someone else from BC will pipe in?

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AzRaeL

AzRaeL

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Vietnamese Restaurant in Vancouver only plays hits from the 70s (circa Vietnam War)

Do not expect INTJs to actually care about how you view them. They already know that they are arrogant bastards with a morbid sense of humor. Telling them the obvious accomplishes nothing.

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beans

beans

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This was one of my most favourite Toronto weekend visit memories with my former sister-in-law. We were walking down Younge Street on our way to some club we spotted we'd like to check out (Was it Gotham? I've forgotten) and some 4' 5" grandmotherly woman came popping out of a donut shop swinging her walking cane over our heads cursing and screaming at us "Fucking punk rockers." New Order's Fine Time cd single was recently released and blaring as the door open and shut.

Donuts, New Order and one frightening old woman.

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Fresser

Fresser

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At Perry's Deli in Chicago, you'll often hear "Shaft" or "Theme from S.W.A.T." over the speakers.

Periodically, Perry will interrupt the music (and the lunch line) to ask trivia questions. The first customer to answer the question correctly gets "a free stale pastry of your choice!"

There are two sides to every story and one side to a Möbius band.

borschtbelt.blogspot.com

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=Mark

=Mark

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This has since been rectified, but when Juanitos, a Tex/Mex place in central NJ first opened they had a CD changer. From what I could gather they were playing 4 discs of Mexican Mariachi music, and... A disc by Enya.

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Vietnamese Restaurant in Vancouver only plays hits from the 70s (circa Vietnam War)

My local Vietnamese place does that too!

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Cusina

Cusina

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There is a nice white table cloth kind of place in my town that plays what I can only describe as B grade 80s porn soundtrack in the background. Generally, it's low enough not to be heard in the dining room, but it gets louder in the bathroom. Makes me laugh and think of big hair and purple eyeshadow.

Don't even ask how I know what bad 80s porn sounds like. :blink:

What's wrong with peanut butter and mustard? What else is a guy supposed to do when we are out of jelly?

-Dad

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jo-mel

jo-mel

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This was one of my most favourite Toronto weekend visit memories with my former sister-in-law.  We were walking down Younge Street on our way to some club we spotted we'd like to check out (Was it Gotham?  I've forgotten) and some 4' 5" grandmotherly woman came popping out of a donut shop swinging her walking cane over our heads cursing and screaming at us  "Fucking punk rockers."  New Order's Fine Time cd single was recently released and blaring as the door open and shut.

Donuts, New Order and one frightening old woman.

Guess that wasn't me. I've never been to Toronto, am 5'8", and don't use a cane ------but it COULD have been me!! LOL!

My peeve is when the music doesn't suit the place. I want Chinese music in Chinese restaurants, and Andrea Bocelli in Italian. In a donut shop? How about nothing? It would distract from the aroma.

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FistFullaRoux

FistFullaRoux

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Not sure if this counts as background music. It was only in the bathrooms. County Line BBQ in Austin, TX plays "Learn to Speak Texan" bits. ie; "Jaeatyet?" "Fixinta" etc. There are a few good ones there.

And I once heard a Muzak version of Depeche Mode's People Are People in a Burger King.

Screw it. It's a Butterball.
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hannnah

hannnah

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Our local mom-and-pop sushi place has had the same CD on the last 4 times we've been in - a collection of late 60s instrumentals. We're talking Mantovani, Mancini, and various other stuff that's gotten used in movies over the years.

Why they're so stuck on this CD, I'm not sure - the Japanese music they used to play was much nicer. I can only assume they got sick of hearing it after a while, although they at least had more than one CD of it. :blink:

"Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cookbook! Little Red Cookbook!" --Eddie Izzard
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