But it is nice to know that whenever you look there, that thread about new places to eat in Gurnee will be right up there near the top. Honestly, it's Gurnee! Nothing new is going to open there that isn't a Baja Fresco Express! It's been three years since the thread started and there still isn't anywhere!

Mike G wrote:But it is nice to know that whenever you look there, that thread about new places to eat in Gurnee will be right up there near the top. Honestly, it's Gurnee! Nothing new is going to open there that isn't a Baja Fresco Express! It's been three years since the thread started and there still isn't anywhere!

Ow!! I'm the one that started that beast!!

I miss Chowhound...

and the same 2 or 3 places being recommended by the same 2 or 3 posters over, and over.

jimswside wrote:I miss Chowhound...

and the same 2 or 3 places being recommended by the same 2 or 3 posters over, and over.

Still, when you have these random folks who drop by, ask where to eat and then leave, it's not much of a problem for them to get the same answer as others have received...except that it severely undercuts the usefulness of the Chowhound question/answer model for the greater Chicagoland Chowhound community.

I miss the melodrama, the insurrections, the heavy-handed quashing, the occasional riots, the snark-or-be-snarked social darwinism. It speaks badly of me, and I should be ashamed. But I do. (Not that I'd want it here. But it made a great voyeuristic spectacle.)

Ow!! I'm the one that started that beast!!

So do you feel you ever got an answer?

David Hammond wrote:Hello Fool, Welcome to LTHForum.com!
many times, a person will post and announce that they’ve lurked for years. Why the long-term lurking? Well, I wouldn’t want to think it was because of the chilly reception some new posters receive.

I lurked a long time before I posted something. I still lurk much more than I post. There's been a few times when I've sworn off this site (it's one of four that I've ever posted to), only to return because I thought my experiences would be valuable to the occasional lurker.

Just my two cents but regarding this forum, one should always lurk before they leap...

Mike G wrote:

Ow!! I'm the one that started that beast!!

So do you feel you ever got an answer?

Wow! This feels like a good "couch session" type of question, but to answer the question:

No.

I was, and still feel that I am, just about the sole source of restaurant information for Northern Lake County & Kenosha/Racine Counties. Just cross Rt 60/Town line Rd going south, and I know I can find info for days on end.

The sad truth is, I unfortunately never had allot of options to start with here, and still dont. Thus the name of that thread: "Looking for unturned stones in Gurnee". I wanted someone, anyone, to shock me with a list or even make a few suggestion of places that I might have somehow missed. They couldn't.

But don't gloat! In this regard LTH fares no better!

I'm sick of reading the numerous glowing Capt'n Porkies recommendations/reviews and GNR worship of that shack. I just don't get, never did, and that's by a dumbed down Lake County standard too.

The sad fact is, in Northern Lake County there are maybe a total of 10 worthwhile establishment in which to go eat, and I just have to accept that. So you are painfully correct, its chain dominated.

But that's why new blood posting here or anywhere should be given a fair chance. I want hear about the new or strange places in my sad little quadrant of town, even if they are a shill. I'll go and figure it out for myself and do my own due diligence.

And isn't that really the issue? Readers who are too lazy to go do the work of going out, tasting and then forming their own unique unbiased opinions without having been influenced by the others who've posted? It's credibility vs. dependability...

abf005 wrote:I was, and still feel that I am, just about the sole source of restaurant information for Northern Lake County & Kenosha/Racine Counties.

That will surprise some people.

Readers who are too lazy to go do the work of going out, tasting and then forming their own unique unbiased opinions without having been influenced by the others who've posted? It's credibility vs. dependability...

I'm sure you haven't read Dale Carnegie's, How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies.

When new posters come into this website with this same winning style, I think to myself: Big fish in little pond. In your circle of friends, you're the go-to person for restaurants. When you enter LTH, there are many big fish who have areas of specialization and knowledge. Those who succeed and stay, tend to give as well as learn from others.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

abf005 wrote:I was, and still feel that I am, just about the sole source of restaurant information for Northern Lake County & Kenosha/Racine Counties.

That will surprise some people.

Readers who are too lazy to go do the work of going out, tasting and then forming their own unique unbiased opinions without having been influenced by the others who've posted? It's credibility vs. dependability...

I'm sure you haven't read Dale Carnegie's, How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies.

When new posters come into this website with this same winning style, I think to myself: Big fish in little pond. In your circle of friends, you're the go-to person for restaurants. When you enter LTH, there are many big fish who have areas of specialization and knowledge. Those who succeed and stay, tend to give as well as learn from others.

Regards,

When the same folks from Chowhound moved onto LTH, those same recommendations didn't automatically evolve into genius. They just moved.

I guess I'm not as starstruck as most here would desire, and feel that the so called "big fish here" (while very respectable) are not above or significantly more evolved than any one else, present company included.

Northern Lake County? Is there really a debate? Please dazzle me...

Burt, you've certainly got a point about Lake County, but you have to remember that LTHForum's got this split personality between finedine and hidden gems that may even be too rough for "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" -- Cap'n Porky's certainly fits that, as Dino had them film at his other restaurant, The Shanty.

The suburbs have a difficulty in building a dining rep, partly due to lack of destinations: that Rosemont has failed to build a Restaurant Row near the convention center is a serious failing of theirs. Perhaps in a half-dozen years, the Genesee in Waukegan could build a reputation?

DuPage County has a little more luck: the tech corridors that've built along 290/355 and 88 have brought in a lot of immigrant populations and their interesting ethnic food. If I lived or worked near Oakbrook, it would be a long time until I got bored with the dining. Can't say the same for, say, Hawthorn Mall, although it's improving, I think. Downtown Libertyville has some potential.

JoelF wrote:Burt, you've certainly got a point about Lake County, but you have to remember that LTHForum's got this split personality between finedine and hidden gems that may even be too rough for "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" -- Cap'n Porky's certainly fits that, as Dino had them film at his other restaurant, The Shanty.

The suburbs have a difficulty in building a dining rep, partly due to lack of destinations: that Rosemont has failed to build a Restaurant Row near the convention center is a serious failing of theirs. Perhaps in a half-dozen years, the Genesee in Waukegan could build a reputation?

DuPage County has a little more luck: the tech corridors that've built along 290/355 and 88 have brought in a lot of immigrant populations and their interesting ethnic food. If I lived or worked near Oakbrook, it would be a long time until I got bored with the dining. Can't say the same for, say, Hawthorn Mall, although it's improving, I think. Downtown Libertyville has some potential.

Your preaching to the choir! And I can't disagree with you one bit.

I am close personal friends with some folks in the City of Waukegan's Planning office. And try as they may, the nightmare of rebuilding that cities image as a destination point has been a fruitless undertaking at best.

There is almost a "that side of the tracks" stigma attached to Waukegan & North Chicago, and it's hard to lure folks east of Rt45 to try these places from the Gurnee-Libertyville areas. Trust me, I've literally had to load up neighbors in my car just to get them to places on that side.

Take for example Big Ed's BBQ vs. MainStreet Smokehouse, I've got more neighbors who have been to Mainstreet than Ed's, and Ed has been in business for 9 months more!

I guess if anyone wants to discuss & debate Northern Lake County, I'd be glad to start a new thread. Because as I'm typing, I'm fast realizing I've begun to hijacking a good thread and have started straying way off topic, and for that Mr Hammond, I do apologize.

abf005 wrote:I guess if anyone wants to discuss & debate Northern Lake County, I'd be glad to start a new thread. Because as I'm typing, I'm fast realizing I've begun to hijacking a good thread and have started straying way off topic, and for that Mr Hammond, I do apologize.

Thanks, though I'm totally cool with threads meandering off the original topic -- it's like a conversation at a cocktail party, where one thought leads to another, and there's no rule that says you have to stay tightly focused (or laser-focused, if you will, ) on the original subject of the ice-breaker comment.

That said, it might be productive to start a new thread just so people can locate Northern Lake Country information more readily.

I lurked for a while before originally posting, too. No one was offensive when I first started posting, but I kept my head low most of the time - just posting a little in existing threads.

However... I remember how excited I was to post my first review of a restaurant that no one else had talked about and start a new thread for it. I took some really nice pictures and wrote it all up.

To this day, that thread has not had a single reply.

To be fair, though, the restaurant is in middle-of-nowhere, Indiana. I only cried a little.

Llama wrote:I lurked for a while before originally posting, too. No one was offensive when I first started posting, but I kept my head low most of the time - just posting a little in existing threads.

However... I remember how excited I was to post my first review of a restaurant that no one else had talked about and start a new thread for it. I took some really nice pictures and wrote it all up.

To this day, that thread has not had a single reply.

To be fair, though, the restaurant is in middle-of-nowhere, Indiana. I only cried a little.

When a restaurant is beyond a convenient drive, it takes longer to get any feedback, if ever. Dickson long ago wrote about By-Bys in West Chicago. You could hear a pin drop. Yet, when I was going in that direction, I did got to By-Bys as did others.

Find a Mississippi Delta Tamale near Peoria, you get a polite response. Find a Mississippi Delta Tamale in Chicago, you get a tsunami of people ready to try it. Fewer have been to both venues, but it is a reliable food find in the middle of less dense population.

Now I am going to have to look up your post and place it on my to-do list, if it wasn't already there.

Regards,

As someone who reads far more than he posts, I really appreciate the sentiment here. It can be a challenge to remain an enthusiastic part of the community when you think of something meaningful/different to add to a discussion only to be met with stony silence or contempt. While a skeptical approach can be useful (this thread, for example, about Sheffield's, a place that really is a great place for good beer!), it can also turn ugly and aggressive as it approaches witch hunt-like levels (um, later in that same thread, I think). While we all want a transparent, honest discussion, keeping things positive can be just as important.

Also, it's worth remembering that every LTH member's profile once showed "Posts: 0".

danimalarkey wrote:It can be a challenge to remain an enthusiastic part of the community when you think of something meaningful/different to add to a discussion only to be met with stony silence or contempt.

I once commented to a community member about a few posts where no response was uttered. They offered a thought that made me feel much better, "You were so thorough in your report, there was nothing left to say."

In the dark ages six years ago, there was very little I wrote about the North Shore that anyone reacted to. I went to the Gorilla Gourmet Maxwell St. premier. I met Steve Drucker from Atlanta, Georgia who specifically wanted to meet me. I could not imagine why. He had used a number of recommendations in the area while on business. It made my evening.

If you change your internal dialogue to interpret these silences as speechlessness, you will feel better about sharing information. Eventually someone will use it, sometimes it is a matter of time. JeffB wrote frequently about Katy's Noodles. Nobody paid attention until sazerac went multiples time, took pictures and translated the menus on the wall. The new discovery was only several years in the making.

Also, it's worth remembering that every LTH member's profile once showed "Posts: 0".

A few people I felt were a bit too aggressive with newbies have had their first post linked to in a PM. It is something worthwhile to remember, I agree.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

danimalarkey wrote:It can be a challenge to remain an enthusiastic part of the community when you think of something meaningful/different to add to a discussion only to be met with stony silence or contempt.

If you change your internal dialogue to interpret these silences as speechlessness, you will feel better about sharing information. Eventually someone will use it, sometimes it is a matter of time. JeffB wrote frequently about Katy's Noodles. Nobody paid attention until sazerac went multiples time, took pictures and translated the menus on the wall. The new discovery was only several years in the making.

I think that sometimes it's a case of others simply having nothing to say. It's not like your post is the last word, but maybe other LTHers are less speechless and more cognizant of the fact that if they can't really add something to the discussion, then maybe it's best to hold off until they do (such considerations never stop me from posting, but still).

Of course, if you post during a time of high traffic on LTH, your post could very easily sink fast and out of sight, not because it is not worthy, but because of other, perhaps equally worthy distractors.

At any rate, I would absolutely not interpret temporary silence as contempt.

David Hammond wrote:At any rate, I would absolutely not interpret temporary silence as contempt.

Oh I'm certainly inclined to agree -- with both you and Cathy2. I wasn't speaking from personal experience necessarily but as others have said in this thread, there are many that post here for the first time who might feel that way.

Again, this is why this thread is a great addition to the forum as a whole, to break through some of the concerns that infrequent/new posters may have.

I must say, I lurked for a long time before finally joining LTHForum. I think one of my first (if not THE first post) was in response to someone looking for good food in the southern suburbs. I responded with a post about a Thai restaurant that my family really enjoys. I was immediately shot down by another member, who responded that while the food there was good, it wasn't good enough to warrant somebody driving down from the city since so many superior Thai restaurants were already being talked about here. I was stunned -- we eat out a lot, and I really thought this restaurant was above the ordinary, but not having eaten at any of the Thai favorites on the board, assumed the other member must be correct. A few days later, that poster admitted that he had gone back to the restaurant I had recommended and that the food was even better than he remembered, although they did not serve the types of different dishes from secret menus so many people here were talking about. I felt partially vindicated and started posting again.

I'm really glad I continued to voice my opinion here, especially since I have met so many members in person and love the community spirit of this board. I may not post as often as I did at one time, but I always find myself coming back here to look for answers to questions or find something new.

Suzy

Exhibit one too many: Maria's Pizza in Milwaukee

Rene G posted this originally in September, 2006. The first response was just recently. A mere three years sitting unresponded to, yet it inspired someone to visit. Isn't that wonderful?

Regards,

When I started the post about Mr.D's winning french fries there were only a few responses and I was really bummed. However after Louisa Chu replied that she was a "Huge Fan" of Mr. D's and recieved 0 responses I knew it wasn't just me.

Marshall K wrote:When I started the post about Mr.D's winning french fries there were only a few responses and I was really bummed. However after Louisa Chu replied that she was a "Huge Fan" of Mr. D's and recieved 0 responses I knew it wasn't just me.

This is LTHForum. If you want a lot of responses, you need to post about the latest fast food hamburger chain

Kennyz wrote:

Marshall K wrote:When I started the post about Mr.D's winning french fries there were only a few responses and I was really bummed. However after Louisa Chu replied that she was a "Huge Fan" of Mr. D's and recieved 0 responses I knew it wasn't just me.

This is LTHForum. If you want a lot of responses, you need to post about the latest fast food hamburger chain

Funny you should mention that in the thread where we're discussing people's comfort level when it comes to jumping in. I've wondered if the fast food threads (and Kuma's, for that matter) aren't the busiest simply because burgers are the one subject about which everybody feels qualified to speak from a position of knowledge.

So how should I respond, if at all, to this thread, a first-time poster full of praise for what I (and many of my friends) consider to be one of the worst restaurants in the area? Shill or just a sincere poster with very different tastes than mine?

Bill/SFNM wrote:So how should I respond, if at all, to this thread, a first-time poster full of praise for what I (and many of my friends) consider to be one of the worst restaurants in the area? Shill or just a sincere poster with very different tastes than mine?

The first thing you should do is point out that, unless he became disillusioned after the '68 convention, he's an expatriate, and not an ex-patriot.

Bill/SFNM wrote:So how should I respond, if at all, to this thread, a first-time poster full of praise for what I (and many of my friends) consider to be one of the worst restaurants in the area? Shill or just a sincere poster with very different tastes than mine?

Bill,

I'd open with "Jane, you ignorant slut" and proceed from there..........

Ok, what I really suggest is calibrating your response to show understanding and appreciation of Coops perspective then outline specific points where you disagree.

You are an excellent writer, politic and polite, I am sure Coop will be pleased to read your differing opinion.

Enjoy,
Gary

LAZ wrote:

Santander wrote:The first thing you should do is point out that, unless he became disillusioned after the '68 convention, he's an expatriate, and not an ex-patriot.

Yes, snide spelling corrections always contribute so much to the politesse and cordiality of online discourse.

Good advice. Especially if it turns out that he is, in fact, an ex-(NFL) Patriot, which means he's probably 6'4" 300lbs, and pining for the first opportunity to clothesline someone replying with a rude post.
But seriously, I agree with Wiv's advice. And while it's sometimes a tricky thing to do, it's better not to treat anyone like a shill no matter how much the alarms are going off in your head. It's a far worse crime to berate an innocent poster as if they were a shill than it is to give a respectful measured response to some PR flak. Keep in mind, too, that some people don't have an easy time putting to words the enthusiasm they have for a particular restaurant, and sometimes turn to websites or professional reviews as models in which to frame their post, so it sounds like they're a shill when in fact they're just struggling to find a way to express themselves. In any event, it's always good to consider things like this, and I offer my advice with only the best of intentions.
Cheers.

Remember to always address the content, not the poster. And if you're really worried about shilliness, don't spend a lot of time on it, either. I think that's the downside to extending too much courtesy to someone about whom you have suspicions. It's not the place where you want to invest 20 minutes drafting a lengthy reply. I generally wait for these folks to be (unoffically) vetted before I spend a lot of time replying to them. Be courteous, analytical and brief.

=R=

You ask how you should respond, but that presumes that you should. Another option is to not respond at all to things that bother you.

Which reminds me of something from a Bruce Lee movie:

"I call it 'the art of fighting without fighting.'"
"Show it to me."
"Maybe later."