#snobtown

Finally, some decent Italian food within a student's price range! Having just opened next to Karma Cream, Bella Donna's is a family-owned Italian restaurant for people who want bang for their buck.

For around $8, I had their Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti, bread, and a salad with House Italian dressing. It was just right, and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day.

They also feature slices for only $1.00, or $1.50 with toppings. The sauce is thick and herby, and two slices will take care of any appetite.

On the down side, there isn't enough seating just yet (only two tables with maybe eight chairs total), and I think one time I spotted the family dog in the kitchen (health department no-no), but this place deserves your attention for sure. I think Gainesvillians were looking for an alternative to the Leo's monopoly on Italian, and Bella Donna's is the answer.

-Huxley

I love Tasty Buddha. Love it.

Their curry is really good (even with Brown Rice, which I normally don't eat), and you'll get a heaping portion for around $9. There's usually enough to put in a to-go container and have it again for lunch the next day. I could always use a bit more veggies in it, but I'd also like to sprout wings and fly to Europe. We can't have everything we want, exactly the way we want it.

What we can have, though, is something reasonably close to what we expect to get when ordering food at a restaurant. Typically, the farther the dish is from what we expected at any given place, the less likely we are to return.

Which is why I feel compelled to do more than just fill out the comment card located at every table in Tasty Buddha after I had one of their Turkey Burgers this month. It was so far from what I expected, that I suspect it might have been a mix-up with a Veggie Burger. Something in the back of my subconscious tells me this was no mix-up; that this indeed is their idea of what Turkey tastes like.

The patty was crumbly, oily, and mushy (instead of the firm, somewhat dry consistency one expects from a frozen turkey patty). Alone, the thing I got was tasteless. It was soft texture between veggies, sauce and a bun. It sort of reminded me of sand mixed with spit. I was sad.

The price I paid may have something to do with it. Buddha offers a Turkey Burger special that comes with Fries (which are pretty good when not undercooked) and a drink for only $6.95 (if I remember correctly). That's bang for your buck...or so it should be, which makes it all the more disappointing when it isn't any good.

Help me out, Buddha. Help your fellow G-villians out. Restore our faith. Fix your Turkey Burger. This hasn't stopped me from dining with you, but it scared me enough to avoid a whole section of your menu, and that means I won't be there as often as I would like to be.

Tasty Buddha, Sad Panda.    :(

-Hux

The internet is here for us all to bitch and moan upon, and so, I will.

Charging for water - In a town like Gainesville (or anywhere?), you will have a hard time generating customer loyalty whilst also charging people for the cup that you serve water in. If cups are too expensive for you to just give away, your business is in trouble. And your being in trouble shouldn't cause you to place the burden on the consumer. The banks tried to do that recently with proposed fees for using debit cards. Look what that got them: Customers moved their accounts to credit unions. Charge me for a cup of water, and I will frequent a place that doesn't. I'm looking at you, Coffee Houses.

Buy our WiFi - This is also something along the same line as charging for water. Wireless internet is a hot commodity for college students. Offering access for free will attract a lot of customers. However: Unless you are an Internet Cafe first and foremost, you should focus on selling the product you are in business to sell. Otherwise, you make your customers feel guilty for buying something just so they can check their Facebook while lounging in your shop. Chances are if you let them start off lounging first, they'll get restless and want to make a purchase.

Bicyclists - There are a lot of you in town, and I'm sure you all have your own opinions about this. I still think many of you are wrong. There are bicycle lanes, and those lanes have directions of travel indicated on them for a reason! It's so cars entering the main thoroughfare, who instinctively look to the left, will see you. Yes, yes, you are allowed by law to operate as a vehicle and enter the roadway if you act as if you are driving a car. That would be just fine if you would just do that properly. I have watched countless bikers run red lights, weave back and forth between the roadway and the sidewalk, and expect drivers entering and exiting main roadways to always yield to you as you haul ass from place to place as if your brakes (and brains) don't work. If I hit you with my car, it's not because I don't look. It's because you assume I see you.

Pedestrians - You also belong to that same circle of hell set aside for pompous bicyclists. Just because the law says everything but the Sun should yield to you doesn't mean they will, and it won't matter if you are "right" about that if you are dead. You also have the benefit of a full field of vision, while cars have blind spots. And your reaction time (for humans: 3/4ths of a second) is usually faster than a cars braking time. So next time you tell me your sob story about how this awful driver pulled out in front of you while you were crossing University (not at a crosswalk, probably), forgive me if I rub some salt in your road rash.

"Free" Tattoos - This is just stupid. "Buy-one-get-one Tattoos" is almost as horrifying a concept as the equipment used not being sterile. What kind of an idiot thinks that a tattoo shop that can "afford" such a practice will give them a quality job, or spend enough on cleanliness? I mean, if you want prison-quality tattoos without having to get arrested, this will do. Ever hear of the saying, "You get what you pay for?" A good tattoo is worth the cost, and a "BOGO" tattoo will cost you much more when getting it lasered off. Although, the concept does seem to have one endearing quality: It brings more dollars to legitimate tattoo parlors that do decent "Cover-up" jobs. If you hurry, you can even get over to one of those shops before your "BOGO" ink heals!

Chipotle portions - How come you put more meat in my food when it's dinner hours, and less during lunch hours? And I don't care if there's a huge line of people behind me. It shouldn't affect what I get. It certainly isn't affecting what I'm paying. I overhear, "Can I have some more" so often in Chipotle that I think I'm having flashbacks to that orphanage scene in "Oliver" or something.

The Scene - Your Arts and Entertainment coverage is a joke.

Bartenders - If a girl orders a foo foo drink that you know how to make, make it. Don't tell them that you don't want to right now because it's "too complicated" and you're busy. Do that, and you have just cost your bar one customer (and made yourself out to be an asshole). And you risk her boyfriend catching you in the parking lot after work.

That's all for now.

-Hux

Huxley here, wanting to tell you quickly about Occupy Gainesville.

They will be meeting Tomorrow, Wednesday October 12th, in front of the Bank of America on West University at 3pm before marching to Bo Diddley and City Hall.

They also meet every night at Bo Diddley as a General Assembly, which anyone may attend.

All the more reason to hire locals for whatever non-equity parts exist, as often as possible if not always.

I do acknowledge that being an Equity house is a commitment to making life harder on yourself in the hopes that you will attract better talent. Still, it's a challenge that theatres should rise to.

Considering how many acting students there are at both SFC and UF, it's sad that so very few of them end up performing at the Hipp.

It's nice that they do a show every year where they hire lots of kids, but kids don't have bills to pay.

"Did you send the Hippodrome an audition request and not get one?"

Are you implying that there is a possibility that people who have requested an opportunity to audition at the Hipp have been turned away or ignored, having not been given that chance? If so, I'd be interested to know on what grounds a person isn't worth seeing.

"KNOWN for using local talent"

Known? Who knows? Not the audience members. Let's look more closely at bios. Here's what I gather from bios in the Hipp's programs, which are mostly vague about whether or not these actors actually reside in Gainesville:

God of Carnage - Gainesville, LA, NY, ?

= 1 of 4

Suds - Jax, (NC)?, (NY)?, (NY)?

= 0 of 4

39 Steps - ?, Gainesville, NY, Gainesville

= 2 of 4

Serendib - ?, Orlando, Gainesville, NY, Brevard County, NY, NY?

= 1 of 7

End Days - Gainesville, Gainesville, ?, Gainesville, Gainesville

= 4 of 5

That's 8 of 24 actors that are definitely from Gainesville according to their bios. 33% is not impressive. What is impressive is when a professional theatre that can afford New York talent chooses to stay local, to its own success or detriment. Some of these Florida theatres I base that notion on don't even get grant money from local government, so there's no moral obligation.

The Hippodrome does have an obligation, however, as it gets grant money from the City, County, and State. That's money Gainesville residents pay in taxes. That's my money. Our money. That makes the Hipp our theatre.

In return for our funding, I suggest the Hippodrome begin stating more clearly in their programs where these actors live and work currently. I want to know (not guess) that my taxes are being spent to keep Gainesville actors in Gainesville.

Hey folks, Hux here.

Just want to draw your attention to Gainesvilleactivities.com (and their facebook page: www.facebook.com/GainesvilleActivities)