Music Choices

One of my favorite things in bars and restaurants here is commenting on the music. Commenting, or more truthfully ridiculing.

The Chinese restaurants catering to the westerners make it easy. Actually, I think establishments fall in to two distinct categories, the fist one being the group where the music is mostly fitting but include a few odd songs here and there; the second group is far more interesting, and unfortunately, far more numerous.

A prime example is from stopping for a pint after dinner in Hong Kong. Lasse and I found a comfortable, mood-lit little establishment and ordered our drinks. The service was good, the decorations were fitting and everything spoke of upper middle class. Well, everything except for the playlist. I pointed out the disco beats to Lasse, and we listened a little further. They started playing Crazy Frog.

I'm sorry, I can't continue that thought further, but rest assured it's not the only example of unfortunate music here. The Irish bar in Guangzhou looks the part, except you can't really hold a conversation inside due to the disco built to an adjacent hall. Turn left from the bar, walk past the Guinness tap, through an opening and there's a mirror ball hanging over head.

These unfortunates are extreme examples though. Most restaurants just have a partially English menu riddled with typos and unclear expressions and a CD playing in the background. The DIO Cafe I used to go to actually always played the same music back to back. The selection was so narrow I caught on the second time I went there for lunch.

The menus in restaurants I will leave as a topic for another day.

OP Out.