Reply to: Seriously Defeated! - Where was Voodoo, MF, Suity, Ginj-jed and the other Trenchemen.

[Drewster]

The food sounds great.

I was in Paris a few years ago and ordered a chocolate mousse for me and the missus to share. It arrived in a 5 litre glass bucket. We only managed to eat the first 3 cm. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant only that it was a Belle Epoque type bistro frequented by locals. If this rings a bell with anyone....?

T'other week it was my Birthday..... Got in from ClientCo and about 1/2 hour later got a phone call....

<ring ring>
Drewster: <WTF Who is phoning me??> Hello....
GeneralManager: Good Evening Sir Drewster...... I am phoning to wish you a Happy Birthday!!
D: <Eh? HTF does he know its my Birthday?> Errrrr Thank you....
GM: We are very honoured to have you staying as our Guest....
<blah.... blah... blah>
It is wonderful to have many guests from many cultures staying in our Hotel...
<blah.... blah... blah>
Because it is your Birthday we have made you a cake.....
I know you have been working very hard and must be tired....
It will be delivered to your room in a few minutes.....
Along with some Champagne......
This is with our compliments.....
Can I say again how much we welcome you as a guest in our Hotel and once again Happy Birthday
D: Thank you......
<click>

A few minutes later, as promised, Room service waiter turns up with great big Choccy Mouse Cake Thingy.... about 10" diameter, White Choccy swirls, Sculptured Strawberries and a candle........
With "Happy Birthday Drewster" written round the plate in Choccy Icing.....

It was luvverly..... It was delivered on Wednesday evening (which is Saudi Friday)...... took me most of the weekend to eat it........

Unfortunately: "Saudi Champagne" is a very sweet Fizzy "Appletise" type thing....... but it was a nice gesture.... and it made MrsD very jealous (or the Choccy Mouse/Cake thingy not the Champers).....

[Lockhouse]

The food sounds great.

I was in Paris a few years ago and ordered a chocolate mousse for me and the missus to share. It arrived in a 5 litre glass bucket. We only managed to eat the first 3 cm. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant only that it was a Belle Epoque type bistro frequented by locals. If this rings a bell with anyone....?

[Drewster]

How is the training camp going?

The Training is going very well thanks.... Spent all day with two Dev Leads.... One of them is "really nice" but thick as..... well Thick as Tulip.... He managed to enter 2 Release Records.... 2 Tasks..... and thats it.......
The other one isn't "really nice".... but he managed 23 Releases & associated Tasks, He delegated the Tasks to appropriate Developers and Reviewers, carried out Impact Analysis and progressed them all through the process......

He even got some of them back post-Review from a "keen as mustard" Dev/Review pairing......

Oh..... Hang on!!..... Thats not what you meant....... is it?.... You were trying for "Funny" again weren't you?
I've told you before...... stick to what you know!!!

[Drewster]

......... Got some funny looks from the other customers.......

Thats the bit I hate........ its not being a Pig.... Its being thought of as a Pig!

[MarillionFan]

look
about
<============= there



Or do you mean - When at Home?

Sorry. Brain ache. Thought you were in South Africa and where paying in SAR(South African Rand). Didnt realise you were in Saudi, which will prompt a different question.

How is the training camp going?

[Drewster]

look
about
<============= there

What city are you in Drewster?

Or do you mean - When at Home?

[darmstadt]

I had a similar experience when installing a system in Ljubljana. I went down to the hotel restaurant and upon sitting down was present with a few different types of breads and spreads which I duly demolished. I ordered the soup and something, which according to the menu, was a local speciality. Anyroads a big bowl of soup appeared along with more bread which I managed to get down and then the waiter turned up pushing a huge trolley. There was this big (and I mean big!) metal dish full of prawns, potatoes and tomatoes. There was enough there to feed a family of four. Lucky I like prawns although tomatoes I don't but managed to somehow get through the lot and only sprayed the French guys* sitting behind me a little (serves them right for smoking Gauloises while I was eating.) They didn't have a fag machine in the hotel so ended up in the kitchen where the waiter had a small stash which he sold. Also the money, I changed €200 into Tolars and ended up with a wad about 8 inches thick but everything was so cheap that I've still got most of them.

* Working in Holland I used to go to this little Italian place where I used to have snails as a starter. In Germany they quite often come in a little pottery dish already shelled but the first time I had them in Holland they came in the shells with a funny set of tongs. The first snail popped out and flew at least 6 foot and landed on another table. Another time in Holland they misheard my order, or I didn't make myself clear, but ended up with a whole bottle of wine when I only wanted a half in one of those funny buckets which hang off the side of the table, a bowl of beef curry where the bowl was big enough to wear as a helmet, another of rice and 4 slightly smaller bowls of veggies. Got some funny looks from the other customers but managed to finish it off, somehow.

[MarillionFan]

What city are you in Drewster?

[Drewster]

Sat at the next table waiting for you to finish your starter.

[suityou01]

Same meal in Blighty. Four hundred quid and food poisoning! Nice

Aye, we is tough on this 'ere island

[DaveB]

Seriously Defeated! - Where was Voodoo, MF, Suity, Ginj-jed and the other Trenchemen.
...... when I needed them??

Sat at the next table waiting for you to finish your starter.

[MarillionFan]

Let us know when you are back in blighty and we can all go for a curry, sounds like there's some real storys to be told.

Same meal in Blighty. Four hundred quid and food poisoning! Nice

[suityou01]

...... when I needed them??

Just strolled across to Shezan the local Curry House..... been there before.......
.....all the "usuals" on the Menu - albeit they come out a little bit "different"......
.....that aside they normally dish up a healthy measure .

Wander in and sit down.... to be presented with the Standard basket of Popadoms with assorted Pickles (These are free.... you just get them for sitting at the table)...

Quick scan down the Menu and Today I thought I'd give the Tandoori Mixed Grill a chance.....
So ordered Meat Samosa
Onion and Tomato Salad
& a Sweet Lussi....

Would you like any rice or Naan - said the Waiter....
Mmmmmm - No sauce.... don't think I need Naan....

Samosas come - pretty standard fare... only 4 of them........

Then a Dinner plate with a pyramid of chopped Toms and Onions and some Minty/Yoghurty sauce....

Then the Mixed Grill......... I kid you not - I thought I had ordered the Family Feast by mistake!!!

8 Large King Prawns (we would call them Crevettes or Crayfish)
4 Lamb Chops
4 Sheek Kebabs
2 Drumsticks
2 Breast/Wing Combos
plus about 20 odd Chicken Cubes (Shashlick type of thing)
all on a bed of sliced Onion and piled on a Cast Iron Skillet about an inch thick......

I gave it my best shot (and I am fairly renowned for not being a lightweight in the Troughing department).....
but I could only force down about 1/2...... and looked at the remains - that would feed my Family for a week!

Asked for the bill and the poor Waiter was beside himself.....
You not like?? Sorry Sorry..... Me get Manager....

Manager came over and was really apologetic.... Was it too spicy.... Was it not cooked well....
Took me 10 minutes to explain that it was great (just too 'kin much.......)

Managed to get the Bill (they were still reticent about giving me it).......
5 SAR (less than a quid) for the Samosas
10 SAR for the Salad
and 40 SAR (Less than 8 squid) for the Mixed Grill.......
Plus 20 SAR for the couple of Lussi....

Let us know when you are back in blighty and we can all go for a curry, sounds like there's some real storys to be told.

[suityou01]

How much is the Cobra?

£1 per metre.

[Drewster]

How much is the Cobra?

Heiniken is about 10 SAR a bottle....... but heineken is pish when it has alcohol..... without it