It's not just about the litigation though. It's not how a representative of a well regarded company should be treating customers. There was certainly a way to address the parents in a more respectful manner.

As a parent of young children, there are two issues here:
1) Changing the kid's diaper in public. I get it... parents have to do what they have to do. I've certainly changed pee diapers before, although that involves us holding the baby and quick slapping on a new diaper while removing the old. Maybe not pleasant for others to watch, but probably not overly unsanitary given his privates never touch anything. Changing poo diapers? A much more delicate situation. We try to do it in our car, but sometimes nature calls in tough places. I'm certainly not changing my kid on the bathroom floor and will certainly cop to changing a poo diaper in public place. I don't ever recall changing one on a restaurant seat, but have done so on a park bench for example, which in my view could be equally criticized. To me, its a last resort, but I do it, if not very infrequently.
2) Taking offense with employees' / patrons' disgust. No excuse here. Lets' be clear. Changing a diaper on a public seat is unsanitary and unpleasant. Full stop. If you do so, I think it takes a certain amount of gall to then take offense when you are criticized for doing so. Even if the employees could have been more tactful in doing so.

Sorry for lengthy email, but had a pretty strong reaction to the story. My view: Nature calls sometimes, and you have to do what you have to do, but don't take offense when others call you out for doing what you have to do!

As much as my reviews state otherwise, I agree with what you've said. It's definitely unique in its flavors... some may love it, others may not. But I see your point, in that I love Locanda Verde, yet for me,the joy I get is that it executes foods I know well at such a high level. I wouldn't say the flavors or ideas are unique, just exceptionally well executed. Jungsik clearly aspires to be more... I didn't love it, but am glad I tried it because itw asdefintely something different for me.

No worries! I love meats / veggies wrapped in dough... Pretty much in any shape, size or form. I grew up making pork and chive dumplings (with the thinner skins) from scratch with my grandmother, wontons (on my own starting at age 8, when in a pinch, using the storebought wrappers and any filling i could conjure up), as well as the bao zi (with my mom, where we spent years perfecting the leavening / steaming process to eliminate the dead spots in the dough that turned off-white and non fluffy). So, had to inject my years of experience lest someone potentially miss a great restaurant!

Yeah, I'm feeling you on this one... Was actually back there again recently and was again not blown away. I'd heard the desserts were mediocre, so the both times I've been, I've hit up locanda verde afterwards for a dessert, which never fails to please me.

Not an XLB. Is a bao zi, likely veggie. Made with leavened dough o it will be a thicker, airier rapper... Never been but menu seems really interesting and pics look great o me

I will caveat by saying I viewed the website on my iPad which can mess things up, but the 4th pic I saw was definitely not XLB. Looks like a bao zi, most likely veggie. This would be made with a leavened dough so the wrapper is airy, not sold like a dumpling or XLB. Fwiw, I've never been to pings but the menu seems really interesting nd the pics look delicious. I'd scarf down a plate of dumplings right now...

Gotcha.

Ah, so the wildcard I neglected to consider is that someone ultimately does eat it. Which makes it that much easier for me to return and ask for what I wanted.

To the person who said that some kid in Kenya isn't better off because I eat my dry steak... I totally agree. It's like when you're a kid and your mom says don't waste X because someone [homeless / in Kenya / in China] is starving and would love to eat X. And i said, fine, then give it to them... That being said, I know there isn't some magical transitive property here, but it just makes me feel bad and unappreciative.

so the waste part of the equation never comes into play for you? I agree, in a world where food is plentiful and no one starves, I would have had no issues sending it back as a steak medium rare is both a) a reasonable / standard request and b) not an objective measurement. But somehow it just bothers me that a piece of meat that many others will never be fortunate enough to taste is just thrown away.

Was at a nice Italian place last night and ordered the Bistecca medium rare. It came well-done. I debated long and hard, before finally asking the steak to be re-fired.

I used to have no problem sending food back, particularly when it's an item that was clearly asked to be prepared in a certain manner, but came totally different than asked. But over the years, I've become increasingly aware of food waste and just how fortunate I am that I can usually eat what I choose.

And in this case (and others), it's become a huge internal struggle for me between getting what I want but also not wasting a perfectly good piece of meat that many many people could never dream of throwing away.

Does anyone else go through this? Just curious because certainly the Chowhound population is a) inclined to be picky about the way food is prepared but also b) very aware of social topics regarding food, such as waste

i like to keep it simple...

garlic, sesame oil, chinese sausage, egg (prepared the way described by inpsector john). incredibly fragrant and so simple.

mayfield bakery in town & Country; paris baguette on university, if you're willing to travel a bit, satura cakes in los altos. All personal faves of mine and sure to please your friends, i would think.

Anyone have any reports on Ming's as a dim sum stop? It's close to work and I've never tried it, but curious if its comparable to even say a Fu Lum Mam in MV?

While I miss many fruits / veggies during the non-summer months, I have to say that watermelon is a clear #1 on my list. Why? Because the disparity because what I can get in the summer versus now is the greatest.

Stonefruits are amazing in the Bay Area and I miss those from my favorite orchard dearly, but I can actually live on the stuff that's imported from Chile and elsewhere around the world.

But man, that pallid,squishy, flavorless crap sold as watermelon now is inedible compared to the watermelon I get from the farmer's market every week.

Finally made it to Jungsik. It was good enough, but didn't blow me away. I was there at 8PM on a Wednesday and dining room was about 75% full. Not clear to me that the business is sustainable given the turnover - as a counterpoint, I ended up going to Locanda Verde for dessert afterwards and that place was filled to the gills at 10PM.

I had the uni rice, crispy snapper, monkfish, smoked pork jowl and octopus. Everything was tasty, but somehow, it just didn't blow me away. Maybe I'm just too much of a sushi purist, but I felt the uni rice was a bit oversalted and frankly, while the rice was good, I prefer the clean taste of quality uni on plain sushi rice. Same with the octopus, where I prefer 15 East's much more simple presentation of octopus with the dipping salt.

All that said, I really did enjoy each of the broths that came with the two fish and the pork jowl dishes. But, I don't think this is a place I'd be hankering to come back to on a regular basis, unlike a 15 East or Locanda Verde, to name 2 places.

perhaps my favorite preparation of shrimp is live spot prawns, boiled shell on and then peeled and dipped into a mix of vinegar, soy and jalapeno. i've never deveined and have never even noticed. Maybe its because the shrimp are really fat and long, like a big thumb, so the meat to vein ratio is really low?

that being said, if i'm using shrimp for a pizza or pasta or stir fry, i always devein.

on sale at WF at $2.99 as well. Though they are incredibly juicy (as evidence by the weight versus volume), i don't find them to be all that sweet... I read that they are a hybrid of the ponkam, which is a Taiwanese mandarin, but frankly, the sweetness cannot be compared. So, tend not to buy at this pricepoint despite the incredible juiciness, which I love.

Two separate issues here.
1) is this common practice in the US? I'd say yes, in hat most restaurants, stores, etc., tend to be extremely forgiving in their return / exchange policies.
2) is this something to be taken advantage? Clearly no... There are a lot of things you can get in life. Doesn't mean you always would tough.

So, yes, I think many businesses would simply give her the chocolate milk given the situation, but I don't really think its right to even make that request, and as the responses here indicate, most people would agree.

What about soi 4 in Berkeley?

I was at Mountain View Ranch 99 yesterday and they were at $4.99 as well. The caveat is that the tanks were only 1/4 - 1/3 full, which was not surprising given the holiday weekend. More importantly, all they had were sub 2#s and a couple larger ones, but with various claws / legs missing. Despite the good price and a craving for crab, I elected to wait until they stock is replenished.

Linda, actually as I reread posts, I realized a) my comment was directed at your post and b) I had misread your post. Your comment about marriage potential had more to do with the pride of being cheap as apposed to being cheap. I agree with you on that, so apologies. Again, I don't think being cheap, in and of itself, is a bad thing, it's just how one values money. But I do think that being proud of being cheap takes it a bit far...

Sorry, Jay, I may have been referring to someone else's post downstream about their cheap friend. I just think this isn't something I'd really judge someone on. It's really a personal choice and as long as you're within social norms for tipping, I'd say it's irrelevant nor a source of judgement whether you leave that last 50 cents or whatever.

I'll apparently be the lone dissenter here. I'm financially secure, like you're friend, and although I'm not a bad tipper, typically run 17 - 25%, I also don't hesitate to take back some change on a small bill. The logic of the waitress can use that money more than I can doesn't really work for me, otherwise, what's the limit? She could also use the $20 in my wallet much more than I can, but none of us are handing that over.

For example, the bill is $7.25 and I get change of $12.75 for my $20? I have no issue taking back $10.75 and leaving $2.00.

I certainly don't see an issue here that should cause you to re-evaluate your friendship or wonder what poor, unfortunate woman would marry him.

well, technically, i think the iron chef's dont happen in 1hr. I thought i read that they plate 1 serving within the alloted hour. but the actual food served (4 or 5servings) take over that timelimit.

Tried another crab. 3.99 a pound, 2.34 pounds. It wasn't moving much but the counter guy insisted it was because he water was so cold. I got home and wow, it was lively as I rinsed it. Steamed it for 15 minutes. Amazing. Perfect texture and so sweet. M wife and I raved this is thebest we ever got from ranch 99. I think I may have been over steaming in the past but I suspect this is the freshest live crab I've gotten of late.

that is a great point! I had to hold off on eating crab for a few weeks around the holidays. I may have to go this weekend.

I ask because at a $3/lb wholesale price, it seems silly to sell at $3.99 at Ranch, unless they are using it to generate shopping traffic?

In NYC, the chinese markets are able to sell fish so cheaply because they buy the stuff that is still fresh, but not the freshest. So then i wonder if the Ranch's are getting the stuff that doesn't initially sell - so it's still alive and decently fresh, but maybe has been sitting in a tank for awhile. In which case it could just be overflow from anywhere around the pacific coast, i imagine.

Agree generally that they are lively, so it can't be all that bad. But i have a similar experience with live fish. There are "really fresh" live fish that have a sweetness and firmness that lets you know they are relatively recently caught. ANd then there are slightly older live fish where it seems like the flesh has started to atrophy a bit.

I guess the real question is, is there a difference between a) what you get right off the docks for just over $3/lb, b) at a ranch 99 for $3.99 or c) a non asian market for nearly double the price. and if there is a difference, is it even discernible for an everyday consumer like me.

Muracci's is good solid japanese curry. I've been to curry house down in cupertino, which is a socal import, and while Muracci's menu is more limited, the quality is good.

Kappo Nami Nami, to me, was very mediocre. I don't know why, but the things I ate just didn't hit the spot. It was fine, but nothing exciting. Unlike at Sumika, where there were certain items that were true standouts and left me wanting more.

INteresting approach, have never heard of it. What kind of white wine? You mean like a chardonnay? Sounds really good and I may have to try that!