> I agree with the reformulation If predictable > Then usable. But > notice that "predictable" would be considered an insult in a > restaurant review.
Actually, predictable or some synonym, could be either an insult or a compliment. A restaurant might have something that is an incredible delight, but if the quality from day to day is not predictable, a review might very well note that as a negative as Frank Bruni, The New York Times food critic did with a review of a 3-star New York restaurant: Under those terms there's a promise of unwavering transcendence, and Ko in its early months serves a few dishes that merely intrigue along with others that utterly enrapture. It also falls prey to some inconsistency. "Under those terms there's a promise of unwavering transcendence, and Ko in its early months serves a few dishes that merely intrigue along with others that utterly enrapture. It also falls prey to some inconsistency." (Frank Bruni, May 7, 2008) http://events.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/dining/reviews/07rest.html With some exceptions, the best chefs do strive for culinary processes that make the quality of each serving quite predictable, though the particular recipe itself may be a culinary delight and tremendously innovative. A steakhouse that doesn't have a predictable medium-rare steak could easily be skewered in a food review. Predictable could be an insult if the reviewer notes that the menu barely changed in the time between reviews spaced a few years apart. So, predictable could be good or bad in a restaurant review. It could also be neutral comment or a general selling point for reasonable mediocrity. MacDonalds, for examples, tries very hard to have their fries taste the same everywhere so people who are traveling have a predictable fry. MacDonald's also has regional foods -- when I was at the CHI conference in Florence, there was a MacDonald's a block or so away and they had Fries that tasted like those in Boston, but they also had breaded shrimp as an appetizer to local flavor. Chauncey ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
