The Results Are In

Landscape Tuscany
Originally uploaded by enzo.tiberi

Thanks so much dear friends, for participating in the Pick A New Title for my novel survey. You’ve given me valuable information about which names spark the reader's interest. I realize that some of you wanted to judge the titles based on the plot, but my purpose at this point was to find out which titles had “grabbing” power. So without further delay, here they are. Drumroll, please.  

• 1. Mussolini’s Secret
• 2. The Incident at Capodichino 
• 3. Remembering Sofia.

Because of your comments, I will also be changing the name of the village in my novel to something other than Capodichino because of the difficulty remembering and pronouncing it. 

Again, many thanks!  You made a difficult task a lot of fun!

Shot of the Week

Taken in the Boston Public Library with my Canon EOS Rebel XT.

I'm A Stereotype

Prius with Obama Sticker
Originally uploaded by AlexJohnson

That's what I was thinking the other day as I drove my Prius to the recycling center, and went shopping with my eco-friendly grocery bags. Then, I had a good laugh at myself for feeling so ecologically holier-than-thou...

Until last Thursday night when I was driving home from Boston. Tired from a day of meetings and hours of driving, I decided to stop at a Dunkin Donuts on the way home. But having limited empty cup holders, I had to ditch the warm bottle of water sitting in my car all day, but couldn't toss it into the back because it had no cap. So, as I was idling a stoplight at a busy intersection, I lowered the window and poured out the water. In my tired state, I hit the remote window button too soon and the window started closing on my fingers, still clutching the empty water bottle. As I frantically tried to pull the bottle back inside the car, I realized I had to choose between saving my fingers and letting go. The bottle bounced in the road as cars rushed by, followed by a hushed silence and then a roar as the car behind me started honking. When the light changed, the driver zoomed past, giving me the finger. "Hey, wait," I wanted to say. "You don't understand. I don't litter. Really. See, I drive a Prius."

My Favorite Shot of the Week

Taken on the road in Boston in a garden off Lewis Wharf with my Canon EOS Rebel XT:

Don't Give Me This For Dinner

This picture reminds me of the meals I suffered through when I was young, growing up in the days when Saucy Susan shrimp cocktail was considered the height of fine dining, along with a hunk of Velveeta on a Ritz cracker. That bland slab of baked ham, frozen peas heated to lukewarm, and candied yams,glazed beyond recognition, make me shudder with nostalgia. So, that's why I turn into a sulky and bad-tempered child when I'm served a particularly bad meal at a restaurant, something that's happened twice in the past week.

In the first case, I was served up Singapore noodles with so much curry powder dumped on them, my lips turned numb. And in the second case, my onion and cheddar omelette was so oily that it practically slid off the plate.

I was insulted and disgusted. Didn't the chef even look at what he or she was dumping on the plate? Did he or she even taste the food? In both cases, I was tempted to take the plate back to the kitchen and demand exactly that. But reason took over. I complained to the waitresses. One of them shrugged and the other one giggled. Alright. I'm not Gordon Ramsey from "Kitchen Nightmares" and commanded no respect. But being food obsessed, I have to vent somewhere. So here are my 10 Commandments For Restaurant Owners.

1. Don't hover by the cash register. Go into the kitchen and see what your chefs are preparing. If you wouldn't eat it, neither will your customers.
2. Know your menu. Is it authentic? No self-respecting Greek restaurant owner within 100 miles of New York City (the American version of Athens) puts beets on their Greek salad, so don't let your chef in New Hampshire do it.
3. If you own a pizzaria, let's say, don't start out using fresh mozzarella when you first open the restaurant and then switch to the cheap yellow variety that's as glossy as a pool of melted butter. Your customers will notice.
4. Stale bread is still stale bread even if it's hidden at the bottom of the bread basket.
5. If you're an absentee owner, chances are pretty good that your staff will take the night off when you're not there. And your customers won't like it.
6. The time between ordering the food and the arrival of the food is proportional to the quality of the meal.
7. Chefs who love artichokes, for example, should not be allowed to put that ingredient in the majority of the entrees. (To wit, that Italian restaurant in Meredith, New Hampshire, which shall remain nameless.)
8. If the restaurant is called "Cucina Bella," for example,the menu should not offer sushi. (This is actually what happened in a so-called Italian restaurant in the North End in Boston.) In other words, the promise of the name, decor, and menu have to jibe with what is actually delivered to the table.
9. Eggs are eggs, even if they're served with Hollandaise sauce. So, the customer is going to resent it if you charge $12.00 for them. The same is true for pizza. Because most customers have a ceiling price for certain foods,$25.00 for one pizza pie is going to feel like robbery.
10. Customers appreciate a clean restaurant, but we can't stand when the waitstaff vigorously spritz the table right next us while we're eating.

And above all else, respect the customer. If don't, your restaurant will fail. That much is certain.

Photograph "Demon Child" originally uploaded by: Ms.BlueSky on Flickr.com

Home Away From Home

coconut chicken soup, originally uploaded by mwhammer.

When we're on the road, we're always looking for a place to eat where we can get a warm welcome, the food is predictably good, the waitstaff is attentive, and the prices are reasonable. When we find it, we keep going back. Isn't this what we're all looking for on the road? A home away from home.

In Boston, we always return to Chilli Duck on Boylston Street, right across from the Prudential Center. I must have walked by this place a dozen times before I noticed the set of stairs leading down to a little shop below street level. But once I walked through the door and tried the food, I kept coming back.

People will quibble that the decor isn't inspiring, but I'm more interested in the food. The menu is divided into 2 sections--the front lists familiar Thai food like Pad Thai. The back section has more traditional Thai, like Mama's Tom Yom soup, a huge bowl of savory broth filled with your choice of chicken, shrimp, tofu, or pork and vegetables. Delicious. Other favorites include green curry with vegetables and coconut chicken soup. I always order their jasmine tea, which is especially soothing in cold weather.

Chilli Duck
829 Boylston Street
Boston, MA
617-236-5208