Who are you callin' chicken?

I recently made a dinner reservation on behalf of a group of friends. There were six of us dining out on a girls night as part of a girls weekend away in the Blue Mountains, north west of Sydney.

We found a local restaurant in Blackheath, called Vulcans. It was hard to get a lot of information about the menu, which is tricky when trying to cater to different tastes, preferences and allergies. I couldn't find a website for the restaurant and there were no menus online. That should have been my first clue.  But after consultation with my group of travelling companions, we booked.

The booking process was not overly pleasant. The person on the phone made me feel like I had boarded the Crankypants Express. That should have been my second clue. Then, I needed a credit card number to secure the booking. A first for me to simply book a table of six at a country establishment, but I obliged. However, in hindsight, that should have been my third clue.

Once in Blackheath, a day and a half before the evening in question, one of the women in our group expressed some concern. Although the food was supposed to be excellent, she'd found out the menu was quite limited. And by limited, I mean three entrees and four mains. I get more choice at our family Christmas. My friend was concerned because the only protein she eats is chicken.

Now, how many restaurants have you dined at that don't have a chicken dish? Admittedly, it's also rare to meet someone who only eats chicken, but hey, we're paying customers right? So we get to choose what we pay for.

I immediately phoned Vulcans. Of course, to my surprise, there was no chicken on the menu. My friend said she'd eat salmon as a compromise. No salmon either.

A very nice man described the whole menu to me over the phone. With only seven dishes, it took under two minutes. Even so, I was glad I wasn't speaking to the person who took my booking. I appreciated this lovely guy's time and his friendliness and I told him I'd discuss it with my chicken appreciating friend and get back to him soon.

Within a couple of minutes I was calling back to confirm that unfortunately we were going to have to cancel our booking for the following evening. Also, very unfortunately, I had again boarded the Crankypants Express.

I recognised his dull and unfriendly voice immediately and his posh accent filled me with dread. I quickly apologised and very politely explained that I'd have to cancel our booking, hoping to get off the phone in less than 60 seconds. It was not to be.

His exact words were, "Is this about the woman who only eats chicken?"
"Uh, yes", I said.
"So", he continued with a well spoken and sarcastic tone, "does she eat chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"
"Well", I responded, "I'm pretty sure she eats cereal for breakfast."

Clearly the conversation wasn't going well. Expressing some exasperation, he continued, "I wish you had asked this question BEFORE you booked!" I explained that I'd never heard of a restaurant that doesn't serve chicken, so I never imagined the need to ask. I tried to finish the conversation by politely saying that I wanted to give him as much notice as possible of our cancellation to allow him to arrange his schedule for the following day. In a smarmy posh voice he said, "Oh, thank you so much for that." Click.

Did he just hang up on me? OMG, he just hung up on me! He has to be the chef.

Kim x

First Impressions

Anyone who tells you that they don't care what others think of them is lying or delusional. I however, being the honest and self aware type, know I care. Not to the point that I change who I am, but just enough to hope that people can recognise and appreciate my good intentions.

Don't get me wrong, I don't lose any sleep over people who don't like me. I'm smart enough to realise that I can never please those who aren't on 'Team Kim'. However, for those who are on 'Team Kim', I like to think I'm making them happy, helping them out and and bringing a bit of laughter into their lives. And of course, I always hope to make a good first impression. How successful I am at those first impressions varies wildly.

Take my most recent efforts as an example. A small group of parents at my daughter's school have decided to form a fundraising committee. Our first meeting was at my house this week.

There's only one problem with having humans at my house. My dog. Riccardo the lover dog, a white, fluffy, shoe polisher type, has very low emotional intelligence. He jumps, he humps, and he's generally a big nuisance... much like a husband.

Riccardo greets everyone who enters our home with the usual vigour associated with a home schooled dog. His behaviour at our inaugural fundraising committee meeting was no exception.

The good news is, I knew some of the people in attendance, and I know they like to see the good in people. However, there were a few people I didn't know so well. So that's where the first impressions come in.

We opened a bottle of champagne and only a few of us were having bubbly. The boys were drinking beer. I had two glasses over three hours. Not a lot. However, in the context of having had an alcoholic beverage, what happened next is less than ideal. I went to sit down on my chair but only half sat on it, aiming to slide the rest of the way across. At the same time, my dog was causing havoc at the edge of the table. Being the multi-tasker that I am, I thought I could do both things at once, seat myself and manage my pooch. As I reached across to move him away, I came flying off my chair and landed on the floor. It wasn't pretty, people.

So for those on 'Team Kim' I certainly brought a bit of laughter into their lives. I laughed myself (life's too short not to). But what about those poor unsuspecting victims who haven't yet decided to join the team? What on earth could they be thinking? "That woman can't hold her alcohol"... "two glasses and she's under the table"... literally. Maybe that's what they were thinking. Maybe not. To say I was mortified would be an overstatement. But to say I was slightly mortified would be fairly accurate.

To top it off, I spoke to a friend this morning who wasn't present at the meeting. She had heard the story from "numerous" sources. So again, I'm doing my job and bringing laughter into the world. Not quite as I planned though.

Fortunately for me, I have nice friends, who I expect will rib me about this for some time. Rightfully so. For those who aren't yet my friends, but hopefully will be, all I can wish for is that they're the type who are looking for kindness and laughter with the occasional crazy slip up thrown in for good measure. If that's the case, then I've made a great first impression.

Kim x