Rants [General]

2008 Dec 5
I thought I'd post this topic here... rather than continue it under the Review Ho Lee Pow where it started (because obviously it isn't part of a Review).

To recap:

On November 19, 2008
Tellsthetruth (A Newbie) said:

I've never had worse Chinese food in my life. DISGUSTING. Egg Rolls: Flat, soggy, empty, old (fresh my ass). Fried Rice oily and dried out at the same time (proving no one cares about the quality, and no one cares if the customers get sick -- someone should send a health inspector). The Won Ton soup was I think made of week old wontons and animal piss. The General Tao's was bright yellow and tasted like Frosted Flakes (there was also only about half a portion of it though we paid over 10 bucks for the crap). Everything arrived luke warm to cold (we ordered in). All their sauces come in packets. The bill came to 58 bucks with tip and it all got thrown out cause it was that bad. We ordered in Chinese food to celebrate a promotion and we ordered way too much on purpose so we could have some interesting leftovers for a few days. The portions are extremely small (not that you'll care if you order from this place cause it's all DISCUSTING and you will throw it out). They boast fresh and it's clearly all frozen crap. I hate this place. I'm not only angry cause it's the biggest rip off I've ever seen in the food industry -- I also think people will and probably have gotten sick from what they sell. EXTREMELY OVER PRICED FOR WHAT YOU GET. DANGEROUSE!!!!!!!

On November, 19, 2008
Pat Bagnat (Bronze) said:

I have to agree. The food at Ho-Lee-Chow is revolting. Prices seem reasonable from their advertisements, however, portion sizes are quite small. Almost a blessing because I don't think that you'd want leftovers of this stuff.

Today, December 5, 2008
Fat Cat (Gold) said:

Hmmm...it's been a while since I've been on the site but it seems things are in some way resembling restaurantthing.com reviews. I rarely visit that site any more because many of the reviewers sound like Miss TellsThetruth. She could tell the truth with a little less trash talk and someone might actually respect her opinion.

I have never eaten at Ho Lee Chow but my husband often gets the soup special for lunch because it's close to work and he only gets a 1/2 hour to buy and eat. He is a bit of a food snob so if it wasn't decent (no matter how close it is) he wouldn't eat it. That being said, I don't think he has tried anything else on their menu.

Also Today, December 5, 2008
Fresh Foodie (Gold) replied:

I hear you, Fat Cat. I dislike unbalanced reviews containing all-caps and poorly spelled expletives. I need to create an anti-rant filter that prevents people from posting tirades. Or maybe some kind of moderation system where established members can vote a comment down until it disappears...

What I'm trying to avoid is personally deleting comments that are borderline offensive. Too much of a grey area and too much personal responsibility for me! :-)

And later Today, December 5, 2008
itchy feet (Gold) said:

ha, i was going to post something along the lines of Fat Cat's reply last night, and add that those who have never eaten worse Chinese food and/or are calling HLC's food dangerous are perhaps either lucky or haven't strayed too far off the beaten path or haven't perused restaurant closures / city health reports.

I'm no defender (see my earlier post), and agree that HLC its a bit mediocre / homogeneous. Its even a bit of a secret that i hide from my SO.

But, if you do a pick-up, you can see what they cook -- most of this is done in your line of vision, similar to many other take-outs / chains (pizza, middle-eastern): HLC may not be using the freshest of the fresh, may fall on Henry Ford techniques of food prep (cutting up veggies hrs in advance), but far worse is going on elsewhere, across ALL genres, e.g.: wx.toronto.ca

Also, in my last couple visits, the owner's recognized me and conveyed my requests (extra spiciness) to the cook (who also nods in my direction before putting the wok to work). So, there's options here, certainly beyond what you get from the Chinese place at Carlingwood Mall as one example.

In the end, i wouldn't debate anyone's subjective assessment if they say its the worst Chinese food, but descriptors like "dangerous" (etc.) need a bit more qualification.

2008 Dec 5
When I first read this Review I thought it was a bit harsh... but I thought that seeing as it was the first Review by a new member, that perhaps it was more of an net etiquette gaffe more than anything else. Especially when it came to tone and language... I was somewhat offended by the usage of poor language (swear words and slang)... the terminology "animal piss" as a descripter particularly offended my sensibilities.

To be fair to the Poster, she has since posted her second Review (different establishment) and the tone is more positive (although the language still isn't perfect).

Fat Cat - I don't think the site has changed a lot. Posters come and go, it is the nature of the beast. It does seem to attract a lot of newbies who only stay briefly... either they lose interest (as this site is much more than just a Review site) or they move on to some other social network. Albeit at times I agree there are those who bring the quality of the Reviews down by having what appears almost as a secondary agenda. What I do more often than not when I read a Review of any type on the Internet is take a sort of "average" usually rejecting both the Highest and the Lowest... because one never knows if those are tainted in any way.

Fresh Foodie - I see your dilema. It is difficult to impose some sort of screen without it becoming a form of censorship. And I don't think we want a system whereby someone votes another's Review into oblivian... afterall this a Restaurant Review Site, not a Restaurant Critic Review Site. LOL.

Reviews do stay on the Site a very long time... in many cases long after a Poster is gone. But I think everyone can read a Review and make up their own mind... As said before I read it all, average it out, and probably give more merit to a Review from a Member who's name I recognize, or one that has been around for a long time (such as a Gold Member).

Itchy Feet - I agree with all you said, but particularly your last statement, I think the use of DANGEROUS as a descripter was probably uncalled for. But then again, IMO so was the heavy-handed Review in general.

2008 Dec 5
I'm with Food & Think on this one, and Itchy Feet: Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but calling a place dangerous, or making claims of sickness, or not following health regulations, needs to be qualified with what/how (ie. We ate the spareribs with sauerkraut and were both up all night). To call a place dangerous simply because the food wasn't to your taste is just down right unnecessary.

2008 Dec 6
Please don't lump me in as a "loose cannon", I simply thought the food was awful and poor food value. I would never "slander" a restaurant by suggesting that the premises were unsanitary or suggest a restaurant was responsible for giving me food poisoning.

2008 Dec 6
Pan Bagnat - That was never the intention... it just looked like at the time that this topic was going to grow over in the Buzz Section when it is more suitable for back-and-forth discussion to happen here in the Forum. So your comments like those of Fat Cat, Fresh Foodie and Itchy Feet were only copied over here to keep the discussion in chrono order.