Shaun Belcher
Houston
No English Game Hens
Speaking the language: Either Robb Walsh speaks fluent Spanish or he went to Pollo Riko with someone who does ["Bogotá's Best Chicken," July 22]. On my first visit, I was ignored by three different employees who did not seem to understand English. Three other Spanish-speaking customers came in, ordered and got their food. I was still trying to order. After asking for the manager and being ignored for almost ten minutes, I left.
I tried again recently and finally got the third person to take my order, but the food was not what I ordered. After several minutes, a Spanish-speaking customer made the employee understand what I wanted. When I finally got my chicken, along with several dirty looks from the employees, I went home and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. It's unfortunate that only food critics and Spanish-speaking people get decent service in this place.
No, I'm not a homeless-looking biker type with tattoos or offensive body odor, just a regular person trying to get a meal. If the management wants to cater to only Hispanics, a sign on the door should warn us Anglos that we're not welcome. Or perhaps they should realize that English is also spoken here.
The place must be a success with those newly arrived from south of the border. The parking lot is starting to be littered with disposable diapers and other trash.
Only in America!
Mike Pratt
Houston
Shedding Cash
Priced too high:I suspect that many Press readers identified with John Nova Lomax's July 8 Racket column, in which he described the financial situation faced by large outdoor concert venues, or "sheds," such as the Woodlands Pavilion. They are forced to pass along the costs of promoting and staging shows by major national acts, many of which are imposed on them by organizations such as Clear Channel Entertainment. In my case, I was eagerly looking forward to the June 11 concert featuring Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire. Using my phone and credit card, I bought a lawn ticket with a face value of $19.50. With Ticketmaster's service charge and various other fees added on, the total came to over $31. I have not been working steadily for some time, and this was a major imposition on my limited budget.
Regardless of whose greed is at fault, it will be a shame if music fans are forced to pass on many major touring acts presented by the sheds simply because the shows have been priced out of their reach.
David Hinterberger
Conroe
Just the Cure
On the mark: I just wanted to say how impressed I was with the review of the new Cure album [Rotation, by D.X. Ferris, July 22]. I have been a Cure fan for over a decade and have religiously bought every album; this review explains exactly my impression of the new album as well as that of the ever-present disappointment with each album. The writer did an excellent job and was concise, knowledgeable and witty.
Jennifer Crump
Houston
