Anyone with me?
Took a break over to Canadian wine growing country in Kelowna earlier this week and had a rather grown up time sampling the local nectars. Canadian wine is growing up fast, and Okanagan wines are improving rapidly.
However, this is not the point of my post. Today’s little gripe is about the noise levels in bars and restaurants. Unlike many, my life has its own soundtrack, which is muted and inclined towards pleasant conversation and listening. To this end I’m running out of places I want to spend my money, specifically bars and restaurants. Two nights ago I went into a fairly upmarket waterfront place and almost walked straight out again because the owner and staff seemed to want to work in a Disco. The staff were great; attentive and pleasant. The food was reasonable Canadian fare. Not up to French standards, but that’s another story.
Call me an old fart if you like, but I like to be able to hear myself think when I go out for a meal. I like not to have to strain in order to hear what my server is saying as they reel off the list of ‘specials’ in that delightfully practiced way of North American restaurants and diner staff. I like not having to raise my voice to be heard over the ‘Thump-thump-thump’ of some dumb fuck headed rap number making the air pulse in my delicate shell likes. I like conversation and good company over the artificial noise some people need to keep their brains from working.
Are there any restaurateurs out there who can justify deluging our ears with a torrent of crap on the false premise that it creates ‘ambiance’? Just let me know the name of your establishment and I solemnly promise never to darken your doorstep or spend my money there. Please communicate; I’m sure there are a lot of others who would like to do the same.
I would wear earplugs like HM the Queen at the Paralympics opening ceremony, but then I would be unable to hear what my dinner companions are saying, and that would be impolite.
It’s not helped when some restuarants insist on having hard surfaces all around. Doesn’t help with sound deadening. Been to one or two small restuarants with no music but with everyone talking the sound levels get pretty high that you nearly have to shout – all because there is nothing soft to adsorb the sound.
Talking of Kelowna, have you visited the winery with the pyramid? We had a very nice trip across Canada from Toronto to Victoria visiting Montreal and Banff a few years back. We stopped off in Kelowna on the way to Victoria and visited the winery amongst other places. I couldn’t stop laughing to myself as I listened to the guide tell us all about the power of the pyramid and how it made their dessert wine the best in the world.
SBML, re Kelowna and Summerhill. Disappointed with the ‘organic’ wines from the pyramid place, but they do have a restaurant with a nice view over the lake. Unfortunately I felt the staff were a bit ‘off’. Mission Hill winery by contrast, has a much better setup, and I thoroughly recommend the Pinot Noir and Viognier from there. Will post on this this evening (Pacific time).
I’m with you, Bill. I find it vastly more anti-social than smoking ever was. Half the point of going to these places is to socialise, and if the only way of doing that is to bawl at each other across the table or learn to lip read then count me out. I’m fine with loud music when the point is the music but if it’s not a music venue then I’d like it to be very much background music.