L&L's MATAI plate

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: L&L's MATAI plate

If there was a vegan/vegetarian fast food chain, with drive-thru, I would sooo be there! And supersize that salad, wouldja?

Supersize Me was a documentary about eating at McDonalds 3X a day for one month. What would happen if you ate at L&L 3X a day for a month get the same results?

[cynsaligia]

Re: L&L's MATAI plate

O/T, but "MATAI" means "DIE" to Ilocanos. I'm sure death would be an appropriate image to ponder when consuming an L&L plate.

i guess that's the answer to walkoff balk's question: eep yoh eet dah elenel epry dey, eyu weel matai paster. *giggle*

Okay, slightly off topic, but I know I've already lost foodie cred with cyn and with mixed plate broker for my comments on ramen and Chan's "Gourmet" Buffet...

well, eric & i agree that you have major BEER cred! some would say that is much much more important!

As you know, some stores are owned by L&L, but some of them are franchised. Flores and Kam help local families get set up with their own franchises and work closely with franchisees on loans until the franchisees own their stores outright. I think I've heard the same of the Alpha Video chain.

If you've been in any of the L&Ls, you know we're talking about Chinese and Filipino families, at least in Hawaii. A lot of these families get a piece of the American dream because of the help they get from the L&L guys. I admire that.

One of the families who was helped this way also sent kids to the school where I used to teach, and I taught one of them. I was sitting at my desk, grading semester exams on the last day of school before Christmas break the year I taught this boy. I heard a knock on the door, and he walked in, carrying a wrapped box. "Mr. D," he said. "Do you drink?"

I happened to be teaching at the kind of school where you have to be VERY careful how you answer that question and to whom you answer it. That's actually true of any high school, really. So I said, "Um, why do you ask?"

"Well, my mom gave me this to give you, since you've been helping me so much with my writing, but I told her I don't think you drink."

"Leave it with me, _______, and if I can't put it to use, I'll pass it along to someone who can," I said. "And thank you. Tell your mom I said thank you."

I didn't open it until I got home. It was a bottle of Remy Martin XO. That's a $100+ bottle of cognac.

Another completely unrelated reason for my continued (if infrequent) patronage of the place.

i didn't know all of that (given my bad experiences, can you blame me for purposely ignoring all things l&l?). thank you for the education & great story! whoo, what a substitute for the classic gift to teacher--the apple!

[cyleet99]

Re: L&L's MATAI plate

O/T, but "MATAI" means "DIE" to Ilocanos. I'm sure death would be an appropriate image to ponder when consuming an L&L plate.

Reminds me of Ford trying to sell the Nova in Spanish-speaking countries....No Va means "it won't go"

[cyleet99]

Re: L&L's MATAI plate

OOOPPPSSS!!! Chevy, not Ford---Please forgive me for not checking my post before releasing it. So Sorry.

[cynsaligia]

Re: L&L's MATAI plate

Reminds me of Ford trying to sell the Nova in Spanish-speaking countries....No Va means "it won't go"

which reminds me of this tomtom commercial. anyone who grew up hearing ilocano at home would burst into ceaseless peals of laughter watching it...at least until a passing inang were to hush everyone with a stern, "phssssfffww! tarantado!"

(explanation as to why the commercial is so funny--or offensive--to ilocanos is in the comments at the youtube link.)