First off, I enjoy reading Michael Bauer. I'm a foodie and I enjoy reading his restaurant reviews in the Chronicle. Even if I disagree on some of his opinions, he writes well and makes lucid points. He's very good.
On Tuesday, he went overboard on a curious topic. It was Mike's birthday the other day and he spent it having dinner at a local ritzy restaurant with Nancy Pelosi.
Cue the divine intervention of predictable comments from SF Gate's notorious commenters. (Uh, editors, what the hell did you expect?) Of course at the Gate, page clicks pleases advertisers and this one is sure to get a multitude of doozies.
Bauer is entitled to a birthday party. I'm not sure writing a thousand words or so about dinner with Nancy Pelosi is, well, Bauerish? I thought he was a reviewer, occasional food and wine blogger. And no matter what you feel, whether you like or dislike Nancy Pelosi as a politician is not the issue here, (although I'm assuming the Chron's editors knew the potential backlash was possible considering Pelosi's polarizing stature--maybe they wanted it).
Again, that's not the issue. Bauer is way, way too giddy here. And in an economy that has a bunch of working people, (and un-working people too), having a hard time putting food on the table and making rent, it's a bit out of place to know, courtesy Bauer, that Pelosi has a thing for dark chocolate. Humn.
Was it interesting? Yes. Sort of. I'm just thinking the subject matter might have bordered on the out-of-place arena. Timing is everything too. Maybe Bauer needs to read the room a little better.
Happy Birthday, Mike.
PS: Who left the tip?
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I thought Bauer's deal was that he was totally undercover, the restaurants didn't know his identity, which made his reviews more reliable. So much for that. And I think the best thing about the Chron is the comments, freewheeling and often stupid, but a lot of fun to read. Makes the paper a lot more interesting than say the SJ Merc, which keeps a tight rein on the comments.
ReplyDeleteIts great that Pelosi keeps her own restaurants, Piatti, non-union while receiving union campaign contributions.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that...thanks for sharing.
DeleteI have a feeling Matress Man and Phil Bronstein were probably at the bash too. The former stars of dying industries celebrating one of their own as they all go into the sunset with a martini in hand. Don't let the door hit you on the ass...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the diet tip, Rich.
ReplyDeleteReading "orgasm" and "Nancy Pelosi" put me off my breakfast.
Nice rack
ReplyDeleteI don't like your posts when you sexualize them. It takes away from the point you are trying to make without adding much literary value.
ReplyDeleteThanks god we've got Nancy Pelosi to stand up for San Franciscans and liberals everywhere. In these challenging times, when much of the clueless American electorate is actually contemplating voting in that boob, Mitt Romney for President, Pelosi stands true in her beliefs and walks the walk.
ReplyDeleteIt's astonishing how stupid and history challenged Americans are when it comes to the recent history of the 'Grand old Party.'
Bush was President when we were attacked, but that wouldn't have happened if his 'intelligence' people and Condi Rice had been listening to people in the CIA who were warning them about a possible attack.
During the next seven years, Bush also failed to find or kill Osama Bin Laden, and took over when he was given a record positive
ledger for the budget (left by Clinton). In short order, this
stooge of corporate interests got us involved in an unpopular and unjustified war in Iraq which wasted billions of dollars and thousands of American and Iraqi lives, a move that helped erode our prestige aboard, while also contributing to our current economic woes.
Not only that, his administration turned a blind eye to the banking industry, allowing them to set into motion disastrous practices that took us to the brink of economic disaster.
And of course, we're still digging out of the budget mess that eight years of his administration helped to create.
Yeah, inspired leadership! That's what the Republicans and their ilk claim to have. In fact, what the Republican Party now stands for are corporate interests, and making sure that business big-wigs make more profits and steal more money from honest, hard working Americans.
It's also astonishing that some of the same working class people who have been downsized out of jobs and ripped off by these criminals are still planning on voting for them this fall. That's because they believe in the phony: 'American Values' that Republicans falsely claim to espouse.
As W.C.Fields best put it: "There's a sucker born every minute!"