Sour Grapes & Stuff: Issue 11, 2014 - The Most Awesome Letter Of The Issue

The Most Awesome Letter Of The Issue

SOUR GRAPES!!!

We stopped in Við Höfnina today for the lunch buffet. We were told that it cost 1690 ISK. A little pricey, but my husband had it anyway. I did not as I did not want to pay that much. My husband a few minutes later (after we were done) talked to a friend of ours that lives here in Dalvik. He told us that the regular price for the buffet is 1390 ISK. So I went back to the restaurant and asked the girl that waited on us if they had two prices. Regulars and tourists. She said that no, it was not a tourist price but a price for ‘regulars’ and for those that only stop maybe once or so. I told her that those are considered tourist prices. We are both Icelandic citizens and have a cabin here in Dalvik. We are here almost every weekend but don’t feel the need to go to a restaurant to eat out. Today was just to try something different. I informed her that we would be telling our friends and we have company coming up here to stay for the Fish Days festival in a couple weeks and we would tell them to NOT eat here. She said she was sorry but there was nothing she could do and that was that. We will never go here again.

So be aware-they charge prices for ‘regulars’ and higher for ‘tourists or visitors’.

Dear Weekend Dalvíkurs-

In the words of several Grapeviners after they read your message: Daaaamn! That is not cool.

We called the restaurant to check on this. We asked (in English) what the lunchtime buffet price was and were told that the price is 1,690 ISK. We asked if they ever charged a cheaper rate—1,390 ISK, hypothetically—and they said no.

Perhaps they felt remorseful after the incident with you and are changing their ways and charging the same price for everyone, “regulars” or not. However, the restaurant’s (Icelandic) website indicates that a single meal from the lunch menu does, in fact, cost 1,390 ISK. So obviously, something’s fishy.

We don’t go to Dalvík often, but we’ll be cautious about where we buffet the next time we’re there. Thanks for the head’s up.

Frugally,

The Grapevine

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I saw the May 27th issue of the Grapevine during a recent visit to your country, and, if they don’t know it or celebrate it, your readers and countryman should cherish your newspaper. It is a national treasure.

The art direction for your piece on Mayor Jon Gnass was outstanding, although you should have credited Jerzy Kosinski who wrote “Being There,” so your readers could be reminded from whence the wordplay and photoplay came.

I read the paper from cover to cover and enjoyed every page.   I learned why the biplanes were flying above the harbor during my stay, the skinny on the Wolf — who is still a scum — and the provacative movie review.  I even read and enjoyed the ads.

Keep up the outstanding work.

John Morrissey

Des Moines, IA USA

Dear John-

Thank you for your thoughtful letter and kind words—it’s always nice to get some positive feedback and we’re glad that you got something out of our paper while you were in town.

We’re also pleased you liked our cover—we thought it was pretty cool. Our editor did note that it was inspired by the 1979 film “Being There” in her editorial. However, you’re right, we didn’t mention that Jerzy Kosinski wrote the book that the film was based on, nor that he co-wrote the screenplay, and we should have!

So, John, we’re giving ourselves a literary appreciation task for August (and encourage any of our readers to do the same…virtual book club!): read Jerzy Kosinski’s “Being There.” Thanks for the nudge.

Bibliophilically,

The Grapevine