$40 A Day in San Juan, PR
Retraction B. Collaboration
ago filming a 40 d a day episode. The department of tourism asked her to
come. She was here for a week, but the restaurants that she went to, were
all on the same street. an expensive st. that is. She went two three
restaurants in Old San Juan. They were all located in Calle Fortaleza.
Because of this, I wonder if she is lying about how much she is spending.
For breakfast she went to La Bonbonera, a Spanish restaurant that makes
everything you can imgine right there on the small premises. They are
great and the servers are this little old castillian men that you want to
hug, but there prices are pricy. I hope she enjoyed it, becaause
sometimes the quality is not so consistent. Anyway, I don't remember
where she went for lunch, but I know that for dinner she went to
Aguaviva. She is friends with the chef who has another restaurant called
Dragonfly thats a mix of Latin and Asian cuisine. He was just recently in
an episode of Iron Chef America. His name is Treviño. He may be a little
heavy but he is gorgeous let me tell you. Anyway, his restaurant Aguaviva
which means jelly fish by the way, focuses on typical caribean and
spanish cuisine. However, its beyond expensive! I work near by it and my
coworkers and I laugh and wonder if all she got was a glass of water,
beacuase just a small appetizer is around 20 dollars or more. Or did she
get a discount from the chef??? It makes me wonder. She was dressed very
well. All I remember was a coral shirt and a wooden necklace. I saw
pictures in one of our local papers called El Nuevo Dia. I didn't know
she was there, unitl I read the article. I was upset that I didn't get to
see her, but excited that she came. Puerto Rican cuisine is a mix of
Spanish and African influences. Its nothing like mexican. Its not spicy,
but very full of flavor especially that of garlic. Anyway, the reason I
posted this is because it raised a question for me, does she get
discounts that we don't know about? Because how did she manage to stick
to her budget on such expensive meals? Note that tax is already included
in every price, so I hope that she left a great tip.
Milhouse Van Houten
news:010101c53ff5$8f574d3c$ad14...@hoha.net...
> but very full of flavor especially that of garlic. Anyway, the reason I
> posted this is because it raised a question for me, does she get
> discounts that we don't know about? Because how did she manage to stick
> to her budget on such expensive meals? Note that tax is already included
> in every price, so I hope that she left a great tip.
She's used tricks like coupons, early-bird specials, particular night
specials, half portions (for wine, half glasses), and sometimes only picking
from the entree section and not the mains. I really don't think she gets
discounts particular to her, at least not that they've shown.
I did read an article once about her, and these $40 a day forays are not as
simple as she and a camera guy bouncing around town randomly. There's a lot
of planning ahead, and there's more than a couple people with her scoping
things out. She just doesn't happen to hit three or four places a day and
total $39.87 (or so) week in and week out by serendipity.
Milhouse Van Houten
kila...@hotmail.com
She is way too loud, and points her fingers way too much. Also, the
act that she puts on when she has her first taste of a dish is getting
old.
Intersting that the restaurants were right next to each other.
This was also true for her Mystic, CT episode. Two restaurants she
visited were literally right next to each other and not in a nice part
of town. I think they save money by having all of the equipment in one
location.
I also think that the choice of restaurants is a little suspect. They
are seldom the best restaurants in town, and are rarely known for being
a bargain.
RAH
news:1113508770.0...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> I used to like the show, but over time she has become really annoying.
> She is way too loud, and points her fingers way too much. Also, the
> act that she puts on when she has her first taste of a dish is getting
> old.
Yes, but many of the hosts do the same thing. Paula, as much as I love her,
goes googly over the first taste of nearly everything she makes. Ina does
it a lot of the time, and Giada does too. (Giada also drives me crazy
because she smiles the whole show through - even when she's slicing or
dicing or stirring. Who smiles when they're chopping onions?)
-rah
--
______________________________________________________
Robert Hansen - Portland, OR USA
No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the
legislature is in session. - Mark Twain
Irulan
<kila...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1113508770.0...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>I used to like the show, but over time she has become really annoying.
> She is way too loud, and points her fingers way too much. Also, the
> act that she puts on when she has her first taste of a dish is getting
> old.
>
I would like to one day see her take a first bite and go YUCK! that was
terrible! and spit the mouthful out.
--
Irulan
from the stars we come
to the stars we return
from now until the end of time
pe...@myhome.com
<sea...@hoha.net> wrote:
Anyway, the reason I
>posted this is because it raised a question for me, does she get
>discounts that we don't know about? Because how did she manage to stick
>to her budget on such expensive meals? Note that tax is already included
>in every price, so I hope that she left a great tip.
From the episodes my roommate and I have seen, she either doesn't tip
at all or tips small. We have gotten to the point of looking for the
tips when we watch the show.
pepsi
David Samuel Barr
In the early episodes of the show, she didn't factor tax or tips in her
$40 budget figure. Since she started doing so, her tips have been a
consistent 15%.
Rick
the meal wasn't very good but the restaurant had great ambiance.
"Irulan" <lru...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:16-dneqRIdV...@comcast.com...
pl...@quentincrisp.com
ordered granola, a bowl of fruit, and a glass of fruit juice, for a
total cost of $7.75. Tax and tip is the rather odd (and seemingly low)
total of $1.55.
Searching online we see sales tax in Martha's Vineyard is five percent.
Five percent of $7.75 is $0.38. So her tip was $1.17.
Ohmigod, that's EXACTLY fifteen percent. She tipped a dollar, A DIME,
A NICKEL, AND TWO PENNIES.
Rick
<pl...@quentincrisp.com> wrote in message
news:1114296076.3...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
RAH
Actually, I think on that show, the tip is always 15%.
-rah
RAH
news:feCdnfNUfaW...@comcast.com...
Well yeah, but most people would round up or down and not leave pennies and
nickels!
-rah
______________________________________________________
Robert Hansen - Portland, OR USA
No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the
legislature is in session. – Mark Twain
pl...@quentincrisp.com
change. Plus, Rachael ordered three things. A dollar and seventeen
cents seems pretty freakin' cheap for that kind of service.
Personally, I think there's a "minimum tip." For instance, if I went
to a coffee shop and just got a muffin and a cup of coffee, I wouldn't
tip sixty-five cents. And if a single person takes up a whole table
and orders lunch, anything under two bucks is stretching it.
pe...@myhome.com
wrote:
If she left a total of $7.75, where are the nickels and pennies? Even
if the 1.55 was added to the total (I couldn't tell from your
explanation) it still wouldn't come out to where she left a lot of
change.
pepsi
pl...@quentincrisp.com
> Even if the 1.55 was added to the total (I couldn't tell from your
> explanation) it still wouldn't come out to where she left a lot of
> change.
Sorry for the confusion. Her meal, food only, was $7.75. The tax on
that was $0.38, and her tip was $1.17.
Either she paid the waitress for everything, or she paid at a register
and left the tip separately.
In case one, she left $9.30, which I maintain is a liiiittle weird.
Either she fished it out of her purse, or she gave the waitress a ten
and took seventy cents back.
In case two, she left $1.17 on the table. A dollar, a dime, a nickel,
and two pennies. Even weirder.
Keep in mind, she eats lunch by herself -- taking up a table for an
hour or so. Is $1.17 really a reasonable tip for two courses and a
drink?
pe...@myhome.com
>> If she left a total of $7.75, where are the nickels and pennies?
No, it's not and I've been posting that she either tips poorly or
doesn't tip at all several times. I think you're 15% calculations are
closer to the truth. For the sake of the tv show, I believe the total
bill is calculated after the fact just to make the numbers come out
right.
pepsi
Wolfgang
<pl...@quentincrisp.com> wrote in message
news:1114382596....@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
Um......this is a television show, boys and girls. Ms. Ray's visit is
arranged weeks or (more likely) months in advance. When she arrives, she
comes with camera people, sound people, lighting people, directors, makeup
artists, and a whole slug of other people. Restaurant staff and other
"customers" sign release forms, allowing the network to use their images.
Whatever financial matters have been agreed to are already signed and
sealed. Ms. Ray comes in, does as many takes as are needed to get the
desired footage, and then leaves. Whatever money changes hands is scripted
in advance. Such cash as is needed is handed to her before the scence in
which she hands it over to whomever the script says she should give it to.
The amount is prearranged.....presumably after consultation between the
production staff and the restaurant staff. The only thing odd about all
this is that anyone could believe the figures involved have something to do
with what Rachel Ray might do if she happened to wander into a restaurant
somewhere.
Wolfgang
who remembers, not without a certain nostalgia, when reality had something
to do with what's real.
Wolfgang
<pl...@quentincrisp.com> wrote in message
news:1114440059....@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>> Ms. Ray's visit is arranged weeks or (more likely) months in advance.
>
>
> asks locals where she should eat.
Yeah, and what an odd coincidence that there's always someone there with a
T.V. camera, huh?
> She definitely cultivates the
> pretense that her decisions are made that day.
Well......gosh.
>> The only thing odd about all this is that anyone could believe the
> figures
>> involved have something to do with what Rachel [sic] Ray might do if
> she
>> happened to wander into a restaurant somewhere.
>
> Who said that?
"She tipped a dollar, A DIME, A NICKEL, AND TWO PENNIES."
> I just think it's bizarre that a show about how to eat
> cheap would recommend giving a waitress $1.17 tip for a full meal.
If they recommended a $1,000 tip on a show about how to eat cheap, THAT
would be bizarre.
Wolfgang
who doesn't really give a damn how she spells here name
pl...@quentincrisp.com
Well, that certainly contradicts the (frequent) occasions where she
asks locals where she should eat. She definitely cultivates the
pretense that her decisions are made that day.
> The only thing odd about all this is that anyone could believe the
figures
> involved have something to do with what Rachel [sic] Ray might do if
she
> happened to wander into a restaurant somewhere.
Who said that? I just think it's bizarre that a show about how to eat
fruitbat
pl...@quentincrisp.com wrote:
> Rick wrote:
> > pl...@quentincrisp.com wrote:
> > >
> > > Ohmigod, that's EXACTLY fifteen percent. She tipped a dollar, A
> > > DIME, A NICKEL, AND TWO PENNIES.
> >
> > 15% sounds reasonable how much are you suppose to tip.
>
> Well, maybe New York is weird, but I've *never* seen anybody tip
> change. Plus, Rachael ordered three things. A dollar and seventeen
> cents seems pretty freakin' cheap for that kind of service.
Personally, I never tip pennies. It's completely unnecessary, and maybe
a tad rude. I'll tip change for small bills when a whole dollar's
difference is too much, though (no coins smaller than quarters,
though). But really, the three items she ordered didn't require special
service, did they?
> Personally, I think there's a "minimum tip." For instance, if I went
> to a coffee shop and just got a muffin and a cup of coffee, I
> wouldn't tip sixty-five cents. And if a single person takes up a
> whole table and orders lunch, anything under two bucks is stretching
> it.
I agree that leaving a small tip in certain situations is
inappropriate, but you're ignoring the point of the show. It's about
the gimmick and the prices, not etiquette. I'm pretty sure Rachael
wouldn't ordinarily leave $1.17 for a tip, and may not have even left
exactly $1.17 that time. The number they use on-screen may just have
been calculated to fit into the show's premise. Also, I'm sure the
restaurants are well-compensated, if not directly by Food Network for
letting the cameras go behind the scenes, then indirectly from the
national publicity they get. I, for one, know that next time I'm in
Martha's Vineyard, I'll *definitely* be tempted to try that lobster
quesadilla...
Jeff
pe...@myhome.com
wrote:
>> Well, maybe New York is weird, but I've *never* seen anybody tip
>> change. Plus, Rachael ordered three things. A dollar and seventeen
>> cents seems pretty freakin' cheap for that kind of service.
>
>Personally, I never tip pennies. It's completely unnecessary, and maybe
>a tad rude. I'll tip change for small bills when a whole dollar's
>difference is too much, though (no coins smaller than quarters,
>though). But really, the three items she ordered didn't require special
>service, did they?
>
>> Personally, I think there's a "minimum tip." For instance, if I went
>> to a coffee shop and just got a muffin and a cup of coffee, I
>> wouldn't tip sixty-five cents. And if a single person takes up a
>> whole table and orders lunch, anything under two bucks is stretching
>> it.
If I have to add change to a tip, I tip whatever I've got, but make
sure it adds up to an even amount, like 50 cents or a dollar.
The other night, our dinner bill was $30.50. We had $40.50 with us,
and felt a $5.00 tip was sufficient, so we had to ask for change. So
we put our $40 and 5 dimes (we didn't have any quarters) down and
asked the waitress to bring back two fives so we could give her one of
them. She was so quick in putting the bill folder and money in her
pocket, she didn't notice the 50 cents we put in there. She brought
us back a 5, 4 ones, and 50 cents. We felt bad correcting her, but we
ended up giving her the ones and the 50 cents, making sure she knew
she already had 50 cents in her pocket. She said she wondered why we
had asked for two fives.
pepsi
lvi...@gmail.com
According to Rick <sigm...@yahoo.comxxx>:
:<pl...@quentincrisp.com> wrote in message
:news:1114296076.3...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
:> Searching online we see sales tax in Martha's Vineyard is five percent.
:> Five percent of $7.75 is $0.38. So her tip was $1.17.
:>
:> Ohmigod, that's EXACTLY fifteen percent. She tipped a dollar, A DIME,
:> A NICKEL, AND TWO PENNIES.
:>
:15% sounds reasonable how much are you suppose to tip.
:
There's no laws or anything. What I've heard taught is 10-20%, depending
on level and satisfaction of service.
--
<URL: http://wiki.tcl.tk/ > MP3 ID tag repair < http://www.fixtunes.com/?C=17038 >
Even if explicitly stated to the contrary, nothing in this posting
should be construed as representing my employer's opinions.
<URL: mailto:lvi...@gmail.com > <URL: http://www.purl.org/NET/lvirden/ >
Rick
<lvi...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:d4vg6h$ges$3...@srv38.cas.org...
>
> According to Rick <sigm...@yahoo.comxxx>:
> :<pl...@quentincrisp.com> wrote in message
> :news:1114296076.3...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> :> Searching online we see sales tax in Martha's Vineyard is five percent.
> :> Five percent of $7.75 is $0.38. So her tip was $1.17.
> :>
> :> Ohmigod, that's EXACTLY fifteen percent. She tipped a dollar, A DIME,
> :> A NICKEL, AND TWO PENNIES.
> :>
> :15% sounds reasonable how much are you suppose to tip.
> :
> :
>
> There's no laws or anything. What I've heard taught is 10-20%, depending
> on level and satisfaction of service.
> --
And does anyone know what tips stands for?
Jack Ak
wrote:
To Insure Prompt Service?
pl...@quentincrisp.com
> 10-20%, depending on level and satisfaction of service.
Well, if you tipped anything less than 15% here in New York, when you
left you'd have the waitress chasing you down the street and calling
you every name in the book.
Rick
"Jack Ak" <akj...@excite.com> wrote in message
news:0p3a71l9tpp6tgg5p...@4ax.com...
lvi...@gmail.com
:Isn't tipping an American thing?
:And does anyone know what tips stands for?
Well, there are various definitions on http://www.answers.com/tip&r=67 -
It doesn't really define the origin of the monetary definition ...
http://slate.msn.com/id/2073161/ talks a bit about historical use of the
term. Goggle has a variety of other articles on the matter.
dave...@gmail.com
Retraction B. Collaboration wrote:
> Yes you read right, Rachael Ray was in San Juan Puerto Rico a few
weeks
> ago filming a 40 d a day episode. The department of tourism asked her
to
> come. She was here for a week, but the restaurants that she went to,
were
> all on the same street. an expensive st. that is. She went two three
> restaurants in Old San Juan. They were all located in Calle
Fortaleza.
> Because of this, I wonder if she is lying about how much she is
spending.
> For breakfast she went to La Bonbonera, a Spanish restaurant that
makes
> everything you can imgine right there on the small premises. They are
> great and the servers are this little old castillian men that you
want to
> hug, but there prices are pricy. I hope she enjoyed it, becaause
> sometimes the quality is not so consistent. Anyway, I don't remember
> where she went for lunch, but I know that for dinner she went to
> Aguaviva. She is friends with the chef who has another restaurant
called
> Dragonfly thats a mix of Latin and Asian cuisine. He was just
recently in
> an episode of Iron Chef America. His name is Treviño. He may be a
little
> heavy but he is gorgeous let me tell you. Anyway, his restaurant
Aguaviva
> which means jelly fish by the way, focuses on typical caribean and
> spanish cuisine. However, its beyond expensive! I work near by it and
my
> coworkers and I laugh and wonder if all she got was a glass of water,
> beacuase just a small appetizer is around 20 dollars or more. Or did
she
> get a discount from the chef??? It makes me wonder. She was dressed
very
> well. All I remember was a coral shirt and a wooden necklace. I saw
> pictures in one of our local papers called El Nuevo Dia. I didn't
know
> she was there, unitl I read the article. I was upset that I didn't
get to
> see her, but excited that she came. Puerto Rican cuisine is a mix of
> Spanish and African influences. Its nothing like mexican. Its not
spicy,
> but very full of flavor especially that of garlic. Anyway, the reason
I
> posted this is because it raised a question for me, does she get
> discounts that we don't know about? Because how did she manage to
stick
> to her budget on such expensive meals? Note that tax is already
included
> in every price, so I hope that she left a great tip.
Having not seen the show, I still think you may be exaggerating a bit.
I had a party of 4 eat at Aguaviva very well for roughly $120 + tip.
This included ceviche appetizers, main courses, drinks, dessert and
coffee. Most of the larger entrees were in the $20-$30 range so I'm
sure she could find something smaller.
I can't really speak for La Bombonera as I rarely have more than a
pastry and fresh jugo de parcha.