message to Bart

[Gamma as in Goat]

Well, this is a reply to your comments about my drinking habits...but you won't believe me.

I just returned from 6days in Ital; minus temperatures & wall to wall fog...
I (we) was (were) in a beachside Hotel for 3 nites & never saw the beach...not in the morning enroute to the "Drinks-Show" & not at night when returning.
Not even when we walked to a CRestaurant "on the water"; it was too foggy !
At the Show we - at our "Group Booth" drank::
fine Champagne; courtesy of a co-exhibitor; adding various bitters (courtesy of a co-exhibitor) to the champagne after 16:00, Cappucino 10x daily, courtesy of the Italian Coffee Association & lots of calorie-loaded "Creme Desert Drinks, Sorbetto, Yogurts", courtesy of "my-Corner".
We all gained 3 to 4 pounds.
I took part in the daily "Coffee Tasting Tests" & couldn't taste differences between any of coffees nor the various milks added, I rated them all "10 of 10", in categories :
milk color, milk taste, foam quality, fat content, smoothness, bitterness etc etc.

I also gave all of the Coffee-Barista competing daily 10 of 10 ...
I didn't see any of them preparing Coffee any differently that the others; except some different "body-moves".
Why were they all Male ? Are all Ital Barista Men ?
Why did they all get a Trophy. Well, I was happy for all of them.
I didn't understand a word of the ceremony-speeches, but clapped anyway. It was late in the afternoon after much Champagne.

I got to drive an 08 Alfa Brera diesel & a 07 Alfa GT LPG the around the Fairgrounds in 1 & 2d gear. I declined invitations to drive throu traffice to or from the Show (3km). I lik3ed the Brera looks better, the GT size more.

We will never eat in the Hotel _____Restaurant again. Only 2 tables were occupied the 1st evening & we, who arrived last, got the 1st table's food & ate it, before we had even ordered.

Ooooh Boy, was the other table upset ! At us & the head Waiter & his 3 assistants !!

They complained they had gotten 2 servings of finger-food - theirs & ours but not what they ordered !. We, at our table, all looked at the ceiling !

We finished 2 of 3 courses before they got their 1st. We didn't count their seafood platters as a course in our meal.. As punishment for eating their 1st course, our food was not hot)when served.
We didn't complain !
Our host refused to pay for the extra platters & threatened to move us all to another hotel if they insisted on charging him for the mistake. 1 person at our table climbed onto the table & jokingly threatened to hit the Head-Waiter over the head with a wine bottle if we weren't treated with respect.
Typical Trade-Fair behavior !
I only observed & laughed when everyone else laughed.. ...
We (the innocent bystanders) were all amazed that there were no Addidas shoe-prints on the white table cloth & that there was no furor by the Hotel Staff. Viva Italia !!
We were equally amazed at the incompetence of the staff, in a 95% empty dining room.
Maybe that was why it was 95% empty !!!

Our 'after-dinner coffee' was ice-cold !

The 2d night we "went-out" & had a perfect ,very, long, meal, on, the, (we assume), water.

We drank not 1 Grappa or even a Fruit Liquor at the show or in the restaurants. The Vino was enough !!!!

Now, 2 weeks of bread & water for all !!

[Bart Verbeek]

I'am a bit dissapointed; I always thought being a Grappa-salesman was all about feeding your would-be customers to a higher alcohol-in-blood level with the precious liquid.
And the fun part is, you're in a constant state of intoxication. It is like being santaclaus who has a full-time job distributing presents, but than alcoholised ones. But please powder your nose once in a while, otherwise people will mix you up with Rudolph. (the red-nosed reindeer)
It feels a bit like a self-made prohibition.
There goes my dream.


By the way: you will come this year to the 4th Fulviameet with the red/blu beast?!

Bart

[Gamma as in Goat]

When we started marketing Cocktails, we had to experiment alot to become educated ! When we added Absinthe, we went on a short Absi binge, When we decided to 'go Italian' we had to become familiar with 'Italian Spirit Products' via 1st hand experience, ditto with the French Champagne ... but we have to "lay-off" quite often or we will die of liver failure before we reach 40 !
Next I think I will try young ......, with luscious.... & curvacious ... , but not planning for a short term binge.
I'll keep you informed.
Singing "lost in France" could be in the cards; I believe I have a co-pilot reserved for 2008 !