gleam wrote:

Message subject: Unicorns and butterflies

I apologize for offending you with my overzealsousness. Perhaps you should take the time to understand the merit of my message instead of the method.

Which is as passive-aggressive and dickish an apology as I can imagine. So, I'll disagree: I think any harshness is well-deserved.

Unicorns and butterflies

I have a feeling this guy is about to demonstrate the wisdom of the old adage "underpromise and overdeliver."

But hey, as if the rest of us didn't do that some time when we were 24!

Anyway, I must admit I'm curious as hell-- unknown genius or impending train wreck? Odds surely favor the latter-- hey, that underground dinner I went to a couple of months ago barely managed to keep its head above water, food and service wise, with a whole team of chefs-- but who knows. Somebody pay and go, and be sure and let the rest of us know.

Mike G wrote:I have a feeling this guy is about to demonstrate the wisdom of the old adage "underpromise and overdeliver."

...Somebody pay and go, and be sure and let the rest of us know.

Forlines wrote:In due time you will see the genius of sooylent fuchsia.

I think you mean "overpromise and underdeliver."

[not it] In any case, I too hope someone will TOFTT. [/not it]

--Rich

For future reference to those of you who may contact me in the future, I immediately throw away anything with "unicorns and butterflies" in the title...at least until one or the other becomes available as food...

crap, that was going to be my new tagline!

There are a lot of worthy endeavors and opportunities presented here (and via this conduit) but very few of them take this type of 'assault' approach on the promotional side. I do not believe that any offering warrants abandonning the common conventions of courtesy. I'm sad that in this instance our members' privacy was violated by someone who was so consumed with his own purposes, he couldn't see the obvious line he was crossing. I don't care how great this meal turns out to be, the end does not justify the means.

=R=

LTH Forum,
I apologize for the intrusive nature of our first encounter. However, in this uber super individualistic daily life we have crafted, it is hard for one to engage with another. Gone are the front porches and the mentality for them.
Soylent Fuchsia is an over-grown dinner party where each member contributes to cover the cost of the food. It is not a restaurant. It is a labor of love by the chefs and artists behind it.
I have been in the fine dining establishments and love the food and its precision of execution and how when intelligence and knowledge are utilized over speed and efficiency, the food's intrinsic integrity can be showcased. I want to steal the intelligence of fine dining and bring it to a larger audience and into a relaxed social dining setting.
We just need to get a few more people to come and we'll break even and be able to do it again.
-Andrew Curtis Forlines

Congratulations, by the way, on the five star yelp review. Impressive for an event that has not yet taken place. My suggestion: change the name of your business, come up with a new concept, and operate under a partner's name instead of your own. I think you've done irreparable harm already.

Forlines wrote:I apologize for the intrusive nature of our first encounter. However,

A sincere apology does not end with "however".

Forlines wrote:in this uber super individualistic daily life we have crafted, it is hard for one to engage with another. Gone are the front porches and the mentality for them.

Perhaps you're familiar with this aspect of "front porch mentality":


Folks here are very open to hearing about other people's business ideas & endeavors, and often go out of their way to offer advice & support these budding businesses. But you don't show up on people's front porches & ring their doorbell during dinner, you don't send unsolicited spam to people's personal e-mail inboxes, and you don't follow your breach of etiquette with a half-assed apology that has a "however" tacked on, and ends up implying that you're right & society is wrong.

Forlines wrote:However, in this uber super individualistic daily life we have crafted, it is hard for one to engage with another.

Actually, forums like this make it easy to engage others on a massive scale - in both positive and negative ways.

Forgive me. I was raised in a cult and am now just getting used to your society.

Forlines wrote:Forgive me. I was raised in a cult and am now just getting used to your society.

dude.....


it's deep enough....

That last one was at least funny, though.

That said, time to log out and make us wish we'd been there by cooking a hell of a meal.

Right. Maybe add a little extra tapioca maltodextrin, to really kick it up a notch!

I've now experienced LOL.

What is the difference between fine dining and average dining?
It cannot alone be the exclusiveness of the ingredients. The menu is not entirely Truffles and Foie Gras. What makes a plate of food worth more than another if the caloric value is the same? Food's main purpose is to fuel the fire of mankind. Why then do food from Alinea and McDonald's have a different price on comparable caloric amounts?

Where does flavor compatibility come from? Why do tomatoes and basil "go" together, but chocolate and squid don't?

What is the perfect meal?

How does understanding the Maillard reaction make you realize cooking one piece of meat is actually two different proceedures?

Why do people of all different cultures and regions compose food the same way?

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Forlines wrote:What is the difference between fine dining and average dining?

...

Why do people of all different cultures and regions compose food the same way?

All good questions, most of which have been discussed here intelligently and at great length.

If you stick around and participate rather than performing a drive by, you might even discover that this forum has more to offer you than you have to offer it.

Forlines wrote:What is the perfect meal?

I have a feeling that it much more likely includes butterflies and unicorns than either soylent or fuscia.

Seeing that I have turned everybody against my hope and dreams, I would like to extend a complimentary ticket to the 6/27 event to anyone who would like to be an ambassador of good will between LTH and Soylent Fuchsia. Perhaps Mike Gerbet would like to come and experience Soylent Fuchsia?

Forlines wrote:Seeing that I have turned everybody against my hope and dreams, I would like to extend a complimentary ticket to the 6/27 event to anyone who would like to be an ambassador of good will between LTH and Soylent Fuchsia. Perhaps Mike Gerbet would like to come and experience Soylent Fuchsia?

What Mike Gerbet might look like:



That word you keep using, I do not think it spells what you think it spells.

edit: this is a TV character named "Gerbert," long story.

While spamming might have been unacceptable, I don't think beating the kid to death actually puts anyone on a higher ground.

What Mike Gerbet might look like:

It's shockingly close, actually. Maybe toss a little Picture of Dorian Gray into the mix.

I actually would take you up on this offer, which I think is a smart move, but I will have more family in town than Penney's has knee socks that night, and can't. Someone else really should, though.

The Flaws of the Modern Restaurant

One concerning flaw is the difference in incentive between the head chef and his cooks. The chef has the goal of satisfying the guests’ palates and their demands for a great dining experience. The cooks however are motivated to prepare food only up to the standards the chef can monitor.
To eliminate potential inconsistencies, I prefer to cook only as much food as I physically can to the high standard I regard as appropriate, which means a seating of only 40 people a night.

Another flaw is some restaurants over eagerness to pander to the guests’ desire for choice. A chef should acknowledge that a guest has already made a great deal of choice in deciding to dine in that chef’s establishment. To then provide a sprawling menu to then give a greater ‘choice’ only undermines a chef’s ability to produce anything well. Is it not better for the chef to clearly express to the guest before they decide to dine there what he specializes in and makes well?
That is why I have decided to offer a set menu derived from a core list of ingredients common in the average Chicagoan’s diet. I then can prepare the menu with more diligence and provide better food.

Another pitfall in an ala carte menu is that each item must be prepared in anticipation of it being ordered. A combination of inability to foresee how much to make and laziness to have food prepared ahead of time creates waste and detracts from the freshness of the food. If the earth’s natural order of food is a cycle of creation and decay, we can better honor the integrity of the food by processing it as needed for consumption.
In this day and age of increased concern over the use and distribution of energy and resources, we should be more careful in our wastefulness.

I am frustrated that some aspects of fine food are only available in high end restaurants. I want to help bring the intelligence of precision of technique to all levels of the dining spectrum.

If you agree with any of these assertions, you might enjoy a dinner where we contemplate the variables and adjust for them.
-Andrew Curtis Forlines

Understanding the Composition of a Meal

The most efficient way to consume the calories your body needs to survive would be boiled oats and a daily vitamin tablet. What compels us to want more than what is efficient?
The veil of the psychology of desire is lifting through study and research; we can start to link the desirability of food between sciences and with what has been eaten throughout the world throughout time. Human ancestry through trial and error has hardwired a diet that we now are just beginning to understand the reasons behind.
I believe that the physical human hardware has not yet caught up with the intellectual software of desire. We must understand and accommodate both to make a desirable plate of food.

Let’s start by dividing the world into two groups: edible and inedible.
All edible food is sweet in comparison to non-edible organic substances. This explains our inclination for sweet food and our love of soda.

Organic nutrients needed include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and vitamins.
Therefore each meal and each plate should contain these basic nutrients needed. That is why throughout the world regardless of culture and region the basic composition of meals is consistent: Steak, potatoes and vegetable. Pizza: Bread, cheese, meat and tomato. (Carbohydrate, lipid, protein and vitamins) The composition of the hamburger is more complex than one might think. Follow this composition throughout the dishes of the world and you will see that those needs are like primary colors that cannot be reproduced.

Every meal and plate of food needs to balance the multiple senses the taste buds can receive. Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Salt, Fat and Umami. Each of these is found in food and all must be satisfied to accommodate the nutritional needs of the overall body. Furthermore, there are chemical transmissions that each nutrient’s reception will cause a message to be sent to the brain to tell your body when it has had enough.
This is why when you eat strawberries you will reach a point you will not want anymore and will want a lipid and then after that want a carbohydrate. That is why we serve shortcake with berries and cream.

After the nutritional needs are met, you will then focus on the diversity of textures and demand a variety to prevent your mind from getting bored. The lettuce in a cheeseburger is just there to provide a different texture. Pizza crust is crisped to offer variety in texture.

Understand the extremes of culinary desire and learn to guide them and you will have a balanced meal.

-Andrew Curtis Forlines
www.soylentfuchsia.com

https://www.livejournal.com/create.bml

Rather than re-hash issues that have mostly been covered elsewhere on LTH, why not search for them and contribute to the appropriate discussions?

Forlines wrote:One concerning flaw is the difference in incentive between the head chef and his cooks. The chef has the goal of satisfying the guests’ palates and their demands for a great dining experience. The cooks however are motivated to prepare food only up to the standards the chef can monitor.

Or, you could comment on how your experiences compare to those in LTHer GAF's book, Kitchens:The Culture of Restaurant Work, which I hope you've read, since it so thoroughly covers the issues you raise.

Or maybe you could take this advice until someone with a little more LTH cred has a chance to actually experience your stuff?

Honestly, the initial description sounded promising. Please don't dig yourself in deeper.

I want to offer a sincere and heartfelt apology for my abrasive self-introduction to the LTH community.
I am merely a chef who wants to offer an alternative weekend dining experience.

I would like to show you the difference of my food philosophy to that of the established restaurants of the region.
I embrace the new found scientific understanding of cuisine that has be examined by such authors as; Harold McGee, Herve This, Robert L. Wolke and others. I also bring into account the social morality of food consumption brought to light by Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, and Bill McKibben.

If you would like to enjoy guilt free hedonistic gluttony in an intimate social atmosphere, let me know,
Andrew Curtis Forlines

SMJ5326 wrote:Is a little e-mail really worth your attemp to ruin his chances for success? Think about it.

Oh, please. Total straw man.

Nobody here is attempting to ruin anybody's chances for success. In fact, many have countered their expressions of annoyance with well-wishes or genuine suggestions. The point is simply this: This is a community. Treat it like one, or advertise elsewhere, please.

SMJ5326 wrote:Is a little e-mail really worth your attemp to ruin his chances for success? Think about it.

Ok, I've thought about it and the answer is yes. Here's why:

What if everyone who had something to promote went about it the same way Forlines did? We'd be innundated with spam and duplicate posts throughout our forums. In addition to that, many of us would have dozens of unnecessary PMs and e-mails as well. Just think, if only 5 people a day did this, how much clutter would be created and how much time would be wasted (of members who use these forums and volunteers who administrate them). What gives Forlines the right to ignore the rules in a venue where he really isn't a member of the resident community; a place where he has only come to promote something? Why is his time more valuable than ours? Why should the rules not apply to him? If they were to be ignored everytime someone had something to promote, this place wouldn't be the place that it is. It'd be a clearing house for marketing and advertising instead of the valuable living resource it is. The rules apply to everyone and clearly, they exist for a number of very good and obvious reasons.

Beyond all this, though, if anyone's professional success hinges on what happens here, they have a pretty flimsy business plan. Whether Forlines succeeds or fails, it won't be because of what happened here, even though he probably could have helped himself at least a bit by treating our members with even a portion of the respect he hoped to garner.

=R=