FOOD POISONING



Dear Osha Thai,

We love the décor and food quality of your Valencia Street Restaurant. And this week when we arranged child care for our three children in order to have a romantic evening out together, Osha Thai on Valencia quickly came to mind. In particular, on a cold autumn day , (October 24), we were craving your Tom Kha spicy coconut soup. Our server recommended that a full order would make perfect appetizer portions for two people. We enjoyed the soup, but shortly after our stomachs both began to feel unsettled. I, in particular, had difficulty enjoying the Lava Beef and Banana Curry we ordered as entrees following the soup, due to stomach discomfort. I rushed to your bathroom mid meal in a cold sweat.

After the meal we walked home with great discomfort, and scarcely made it in the door before the diarrhea emptied our bowels. What we hoped would be a romantic evening together ended with both of us sick and miserable. My wife, in particular, was unable to sleep due to severe stomach cramps.

I have enjoyed your Tom Kha soup on other occasions without such undesired side effects-- in particular, last month when I brought a group of 17 colleagues to your Valencia Street restaurant for an abundant dinner on a Friday night.

We are relatively certain that your Tom Kha soup is responsible for our discomfort for several reasons: (1) the effects were almost immediate; (2) neither of us had eaten the same meal earlier that day; and (3) our children did not experience the same flu like symptoms.

It might be suggested that when people dine out, they take a calculated risk of contracting food poisoning. This perhaps is hopefully more true of an inexpensive "dive" restaurant than a more upscale eating establishment like Osha Thai. Having spent $65 on a Monday night dinner for two, we were frankly disappointed by our most recent experience at Osha Thai. This was a lot to spend for a meal that made us sick and ruined our plans for a romantic evening.

We are often called upon to make restaurant recommendations to friends and out of town guests. Up until now we have highly recommended Osha Thai. Perhaps a gift certificate to your restaurant would allow us have a more positive experience so that we might continue to recommend your restaurant and take clients and friends to Osha Thai.

Posted: Wed - October 26, 2005 at 07:34 AM          

©