A reckless comment on social media can quickly lead to anger, contempt, and hatred. This little story is about the opposite. It is about how maturity and kindness can take the sting out of criticism and create good vibes.
It was a great relief when restaurants started to open again after the most severe Corona measures were lifted. Slowly returning to everyday life is a big step towards a more secure future for many in the hospitality industry. It has been challenging, and efforts to help and cheer up have been greatly appreciated. A Facebook group called Eating Out Orihuela Costa in the province of Alicante, Spain, has done its best to inspire us to dine out by allowing only positive comments. It is a page for sharing good experiences, and critical voices are firmly told to stay away. When my husband left a slightly critical comment about one of the most praised restaurants here, Gong, he quickly received some nasty replies. But the owner, Lorraine, pragmatically intervened in the discussion and later invited my husband for a dinner, on the house, to see if he would change his mind.
Lorraine is clearly proud of her Gong concept. Half Thai, half Irish, with an art education and a love for food, she has used her background to create fusion dishes with flavors from the Southeast Asian kitchen. With a customer base consisting mainly of expat seniors and tourists who have dozens of Asian restaurants nearby to choose from, it is a difficult task. The key to success in most businesses is understanding your customers’ needs, and Lorraine has elegantly cracked that code. The many enthusiastic reviews on Facebook show that Gong is a success story, but as she mentioned in correspondence with my husband: “I understand that my interpretation of food is not going to please everyone, and I’m okay with that.”
Of course, food philosophy is very important when running a restaurant. If you also understand the concept of kindness and good customer service, your chance of success will greatly increase.
We accepted Lorraine’s kind invitation, ordered a sweet ‘Gong’ cookie from the Giant Cookie Factory as a gift, and headed for our second meal at Gong.
A fusion version of Peking Duck
I asked my husband to finish the story since he started it with the following Facebook comment: “Gong is okay, but not very good.” Did our second visit change his opinion?
Here is his answer:
“Well, Lorraine’s invitation made me curious. She is dedicated and hands-on, seating people, serving, clearing the tables, wiping the floor, and still has time for her customers in an almost full restaurant when we arrive at 7 p.m. She is also confident and proud of her concept, so I’m more positive. Lorraine and I both have long experiences with Southeast Asian food. Her mother is from Thailand, and I have worked periodically and lived in Asia since 1963. The difference between us is probably that I’m drawn back to food experiences I had earlier in life as a sailor, having my first chilly chock buying street food in Tampico, Mexico, in 1962, and after that, challenging the hottest Southern Indian and Ceylonese dishes before the mild curries in Burma opened up a new and gentle flavor for me. I remember arriving in Rangoon in 1963 after months in India. The contrast was enormous. The chaotic struggle for survival in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta was replaced with calm and clean streets only served by some tricycles and minibuses; it was mind-blowing. So was the food, mild and gentle as Supi-yaw-lat—the girl in Kipling’s poem On the Road to Mandalay. The taste of Burma came back to me while eating the tasting menu at Gong, recommended by Lorraine this time. It also included features from Hong Kong and Malaysia (both former British colonies) and, of course, Thailand. Lorraine advised me: This time, concentrate on the flavors rather than the origin. I did.”
Her food has a lot of flavors that the British have long experience with, and she has found a fusion formula that hits the mark with her target group. This is, in itself, a feat: “For the wind is in the palm-trees and the temple-bells they say—Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay.”
Congratulations, Lorraine. You are open-minded and one of a kind.
