We get hate mail - and why you shouldn't trust TripAdvisor
A while ago, we were refused seating at a Japanese restaurant in town. Now, apparently that place only takes reservations but screaming at us across the restaurant "no room. reservation only" doesn't strike me as a good business practice. Anyway, yesterday someone called p_couch decided to send me an email telling me what an snob I was for expecting to be treated politely. Funny, I've made the mistake of turning up at other reservation-only places in the past and never before been treated like a stray dog. Normally someone politely explains the issue to you and offers takes a reservation for the future.
He and the commentators at TripAdvisor.com all talk about how special this little 10 seat restaurant in Denton is, how the cook will not use frozen fish for sushi and picks only the best and freshest fish. Now I didn't think using unfrozen fish was even legal: I thought it had to be flash frozen in the US for health concerns if it to be eaten raw. Something about parasites maybe? I might be wrong but we are 300 miles from the nearest coast up here and it reaches 107 about noon. I am not sure how fresh any fish we get here that is shipped in on ice. I can say I've had sushi many times in Japan as well as Dallas and find the claims a bit over the top. Unless the fish is alive when it hits the knife, I don't taste the difference. To claim that this little college town is some Mecca of Raw Fish suggests a strong fantasy component to the experience. Don't know for sure but it seems unlikely...
My curiosity peaked, I went and looked around TripAdvisor.com. It seems like every bad review seems to be followed by a spate of very positive ones posted close together. That makes you wonder how trustworthy it is especially when you get stuff these over-the-top claims that seem so common. I guess my real point is to take Trip Adviser with a grain of salt. Any email address can sign up as I found out as long as they are different. How many can you get on short notice? I figure about 25 for me. That's why so many people, like this blog, log IP addresses.
He and the commentators at TripAdvisor.com all talk about how special this little 10 seat restaurant in Denton is, how the cook will not use frozen fish for sushi and picks only the best and freshest fish. Now I didn't think using unfrozen fish was even legal: I thought it had to be flash frozen in the US for health concerns if it to be eaten raw. Something about parasites maybe? I might be wrong but we are 300 miles from the nearest coast up here and it reaches 107 about noon. I am not sure how fresh any fish we get here that is shipped in on ice. I can say I've had sushi many times in Japan as well as Dallas and find the claims a bit over the top. Unless the fish is alive when it hits the knife, I don't taste the difference. To claim that this little college town is some Mecca of Raw Fish suggests a strong fantasy component to the experience. Don't know for sure but it seems unlikely...
My curiosity peaked, I went and looked around TripAdvisor.com. It seems like every bad review seems to be followed by a spate of very positive ones posted close together. That makes you wonder how trustworthy it is especially when you get stuff these over-the-top claims that seem so common. I guess my real point is to take Trip Adviser with a grain of salt. Any email address can sign up as I found out as long as they are different. How many can you get on short notice? I figure about 25 for me. That's why so many people, like this blog, log IP addresses.
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