next colorado gathering?

[mongo_jones]

dalat, july 10, a la carte when we get there--do we have a time? how about 8 p.m? eating dinner while it is still light out seems wrong to me.

count us in for two for the reservation count.

[pepperedpalate]

Sounds good to me, Mongo.

Caveat, sort of: If we're going to order a la carte, can we all agree to split the food part of the bill down the middle? I don't want to offend anyone who's a calculator cruncher (my father is a CPA, and I love him very much), but it sounds like we're going to end up with a group of 15-20 people, in which case figuring out who ordered what down to the last penny, would be a nightmare. I assume gratuity will be included.

Dalat does have a liquor license, so I propose that whomover drinks (like me!) pitches in for their share for alcohol, and we split everything else down the middle.

Is this okay with everyone?

[mongo_jones]

Sounds good to me, Mongo.

Caveat, sort of: If we're going to order a la carte, can we all agree to split the food part of the bill down the middle? I don't want to offend anyone who's a calculator cruncher (my father is a CPA, and I love him very much), but it sounds like we're going to end up with a group of 15-20 people, in which case figuring out who ordered what down to the last penny, would be a nightmare. I assume gratuity will be included.

well, if we can agree that i, and only i, can get the noodle-bowl with stir-fried foie-gras topped with market-price crab and lobster, then sure. let's play this by ear--if we get there and someone absolutely wants to get something ultra fancy and someone else just wants to get spring rolls and soup it might be harsh to have the latter subsidize the former. of course if we, or a subset of us, want to go family-style that will make life very easy.

[AmyH]

July 10 Dalat ordering a la carte requesting round table or, if necessary two round tables, with an egg timer for musical chair seat switching (I will bring the timer), equal division of bill absent extravagances by mongo at, can we say 7:30, for those of us who want it to be dark when they eat (mongo), who like to drink (at least Lori and Stephen and I) but who have to drive back to Boulder (me!).

I second the motion of splitting the bill in equal parts. It really makes for a much more pleasant experience in my mind, unless you go with my friends back in Chicago, who shall remain nameless, who always ordered the kir royale apertifs and the poir williams digestifs and an extra appetizer even when (or one could say "because we had") agreed in advance to split the bill evenly between the four couples . . and did they ever offer to kick in a little more? Did we eventually decide not to invite them out anymore . .. .

Amy

[afoodnut]

I sure hope we'll be able to do it family style. I want to taste (and eat) lots of different dishes.

Assuming we have a congenial and easygoing group like we did the last time, we should be able to figure it out. As Mongo says, if someone else just wants to get spring rolls and soup, we can figure out how to adjust.

[mongo_jones]

amy, your story makes me flash back to my days as a beginning copywriter for a a major ad agency in new delhi. occasionally we vermin would be invited out to chinese lunch with the creative-directors etc. they would always go to nice places, order lots to drink, expensive things to eat and then split the check down the middle. it took the two or three of us with marginal paychecks a couple of outings to realize that it was a better plan for us to also join in the big-time ordering rather than ordering cheap noodle dishes and then subsidizing the drinks bill of people who made 10 times more money than we did.

i am fine with the equal splitting of the food bill myself--but everyone should be. always better to have gruntled rather than disgruntled company!

[mongo_jones]

I sure hope we'll be able to do it family style. I want to taste (and eat) lots of different dishes.

Assuming we have a congenial and easygoing group like we did the last time, we should be able to figure it out. As Mongo says, if someone else just wants to get spring rolls and soup, we can figure out how to adjust.

if we end up at two tables perhaps those of us who want to go family style and sample a lot of things can go to one table. so who's doing the reservation and table mongering?

[afoodnut]

if we end up at two tables perhaps those of us who want to go family style and sample a lot of things can go to one table. so who's doing the reservation and table mongering?

Would that make the two tables separate and equal?

[AmyH]

STOP!

Gross generalization about to be made by pushy attorney who doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut:

For me, the point of meeting a group of relative strangers whose only certified common interest is a love/intense like of food and who have expressed a desire to take a flyer and continue on a less than regular basis to meet and share a meal, is the premise that the meal will be somewhat experimental (in terms of location or cuisine) and a shared experience. For me, that equals either pre-ordering or eating family style with a few splinter groups (particularly in a group of 20-25) perhaps ordering a dish or two that I choose not too sample, either because it is tripe or offal or a degree of spiciness that I prefer not to have. In such circumstance, I would not say, we orderered 12 dishes, but I only tasted 10, so I should only pay for 10/12 of the bill. Granted, if one day we decided to go to the Boulder Chop House together to have dinner (something I hope not to do), I would not expect to pass around my steak to other diners in the group and could see a non-sharing experience, but I also would not see that as a typical egullet endeavor.

So to start of with the premise that there is going to be a family style table and a non-family style table or other delineation, for me, misses the point. The looong table did not work for conversation. Depending on the numbers, one or more round tables may be the best we can do. If it is, I would think that at some point in the meal, we may want to switch things up a bit. I was kidding about the egg timer and will rely on a regular watch to stand up and suggest that people move.

end of rant. Sorry, it's been that kin d of a day.

[mongo_jones]

in that case amy, the first thing to be established is whether we're going to go family style or no. i'm all for this, and it really makes moot the question of splitting the bill. and i'm not coming if there's no egg timer.

[pepperedpalate]

Miss Amy,

I agree with your rant entirely.

So there!

[mongo_jones]

so, family style, split down the middle? do we have a second? a third? does the motion carry? and are thematt, purplewiz, chezhoff, katzenjammy and other new members and those who didn't make it to event 1 coming?

this time i won't just bring my digital camera, i'll even take pictures.

edit: also i demand that lori address me as miss mongo

Edited May 11, 2004 by mongo_jones (log)

[afoodnut]

Yea Amy.

As a pushy former attorney, I think that's what I was trying to say tongue in cheek by saying separate and equal. But I was looking forward to the dinging of the egg timer.

[AmyH]

I'll bring the egg timer. FYI- at our house it is not used in the kitchen. It sits next to the computer and is used to keep track of children's time on computer games. Set timer at 30 minutes. Timer goes off, so does the computer.

I am evil.

[pepperedpalate]

also i demand that lori address me as miss mongo

Duly noted. Miss Mongo.

[pepperedpalate]

FYI- at our house it is not used in the kitchen. It sits next to the computer and is used to keep track of children's time on computer games. Set timer at 30 minutes. Timer goes off, so does the computer.

We use the timer to let Elliott know, in no uncertain terms, when it's time for his nap. It works far better than anything else we've tried.

[colestove]

Family style, split the cost for food, know what you had to drink, tip accordingly, and bring cash or be prepared tto take cash and charge whole bill sounds good to me. Fred sorry you are not going to be able to make it. I hope the group

is as friendly as last time and more people can come. Looking forward to getting together.

colestove

[mongo_jones]

damn, now we've got to wait for july 10. talk about early momentum. i nominate amy to get us all excited about this again at the end of june.

[pepperedpalate]

Hi, all--

Had an extraordinarily good lunch with friends this weekend at Dalat -- pho, papaya salad, shrimp noodle bowl, spring rolls, soft shell crab, and frog legs -- all of which impressed. They have several goat and venison dishes as well, but the group I was with had major issues with the whole "Bambi" thing and since we're all moms who take our children to petting zoos where goats are on full display, eating the animal was off limits. Next time?

However...there's only one round table, and it only seats five, so it looks like we're going to have to do the long, rectangular table setup again (they have several of those) and play musical chairs to get to know everyone.

-Lori

[fredbram]

I'm not talking to youse--first you plan an outing when I can't go. Next you choose one of my favorite restaurants in Denver. Pout, Pout.

And, I would much rather visit with you at Dalat then attend our company picnic that day. But, since I'm hosting the picnic I don't think it would look good if I didn't show up.

So, will you at least order the Mi Quang so I can enjoy it in absentia? It is my favorite dish on the menu; each time we order it the server does a little double take and says " are you sure--americans don't like that too much", then they remember that we are the gringos that order it all the time. It is a "dry soup", the soup ingredients are all served in a bowl with a little dish of broth on the side and you just kind of sip a bit of broth now and then in between the soup eating. It isn't really that exotic, I don't think, but it is chock full of chopped chiso leaf, which I haven't seen used outside of sushi bars except in this dish. It also has some kind of marinated and grilled pork bits, dried shrimp, mint, puffed shrimp chips, sprouts, and other things as well.

[mongo_jones]

how about we push it back another week so fred can make it? and then we can all go to his company picnic--depending on the menu.

mongo (not back in boulder yet)

[katzenjammy]

Dalat sounds yummy.

Katzenjammy, Spouse, and Reproductive Success Unit would like to come, but must withhold confirmation until closer to the actual date (whatever that may prove to be). Our schedule is, um, fluid.

We're cool with family style dining/splitting the check/liquor extra.

[colestove]

Moving it back a week is not a problem for us. We had a great time last time and are looking forward to seeing local eG's again and meeting new people.

colestove

[pepperedpalate]

I agree; we should move it back. Fred, why don't you toss out a couple of later dates that will work for you.

-Lori

[afoodnut]

Another vote for moving it to a date so Fred can join us too. The last gathering was so much fun. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to talk with more of you; is everybody up for musical chairs at a rectangular table?

For Katzenjammy, Chezhoff, and any others who weren't at our first dinner in April: The biggest complaint any of us had was that we weren't able to socialize with people sitting at the other end of the long rectangular table, so we're just going to have to deal with changing places during the evening.