Last week’s edition of Culinary no-no, # 78 for the record, focused on those gimmicky restaurant promotions where your gargantuan meal is free if you can down it within a certain time frame.
On the scale of egregious no-no’s, this doesn’t rank very high, especially the Gus’ Mexican Cantina example. Stuffing food into our gas tanks while food prices soar and people go hungry……now that’s a serious no-no. However, making a pig of yourself in public, while not a “10” is a no-no nonetheless.
Restaurants that offer such “challenges” should also consider if they want to turn their really nice place (Like Gus’) into a gorge-fest.
Here’s an example of one of these contests, if you will, gone seriously wrong.
Dateline: The Brussels of the Northeast, Greenville, Maine.
That’s the home of the Black Frog, featuring food, spirits and lodging. I’m going to link to their menu and I want you to scroll down (it’s rather large) to the section labeled, “Sammiches.”
When you get there, read the description for the final Sammich listed.
Go ahead. I’ll wait. Here’s the menu. (Read that whole menu...it's a hoot).
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Did you read the sammich description?
Skinny Dip: Thinly sliced prime rib served in a baguette roll with au jus on the side for dipping. If you run down the long dock naked and jump in the lake, the sandwich is free......10.95
Here’s a food and lodging establishment that I surmise is fairly well-known in Greenville, Maine that advertises, right there, right out in the open, right there on their blasted menus, a free sandwich in exchange for public nudity.
A couple of questions come to mind.
At the risk of sounding like a Sarah Palin opponent, in other words, sexist, do I really want to see a female resident of Greenville, Maine shed her clothing? I definitely vote no to witnessing any full frontal male Greenville nakedness.
Most importantly, is it worth a whole honkin’ $10.95 to risk my pride and self-respect? I mean, they didn’t even throw in horseradish with that prime rib sammich.
OK, let’s have a look at that sandwich and the owner of the Black Frog, Leigh Turner.
Looks like a harmless gent, a regular Joe. And a guy who knows when the jig is up, or, in culinary terms, his goose is cooked.
In a town of 1300, when you encourage people to take off their clothes and skinny dip in a public waterway, chances are some townsfolk are going to notice and some might actually not fully appreciate the attempt at entrepreneurship and might actually, oh, I don’t know……..........................complain!
The Black Frog heard the angry voices. The restaurant decided to do………………nothing.
But the restaurant did take action after………........
Well...................................................................
Read for yourself.
And wouldn’t you know, like those wussy guys that moan and groan that it’s unfair for clubs to have Ladies’ Nights, even in Greenville, Maine, they’ve heard of sex discrimination.
From now on in this not so humble hamlet, the answer to, “Where’s the beef?” is no longer some overweight slob running off a pier.
As it should be.
