Food as a Persuasive Weapon at Carthage Cafe
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| General Director James Wright |
Each time I wanted to persuade a friend of Vancouver Opera to undertake a little volunteer project and I wanted everything about our meetings to work in my favour and be positively persuasive. There are so many fine places to dine on The Drive, but I chose Carthage Cafe for these particular lunches because I like the white tablecloths and attractive flatware and stemware, all of which complements a peaceful atmosphere.
At the first lunch, I chose the hearty and flavourful Carthage Soup and the Mussels Carthago which are steamed with generous amounts of cumin and spicy harrisa. My target – er, companion – had the daily omelette which he pronounced as the best he remembered having, and a green salad. We both enjoyed lunch very much and my companion was persuaded to do my bidding.
For the second lunch I was determined to try something else, but couldn’t get past my delight in both the soup and mussels from the previous lunch. I wasn’t disappointed, as each dish tasted just as yummy as I recalled.
My new victim – I mean potential collaborator – chose the daily omelette and salad! Again, she was quite complimentary of her lunch and I ultimately triumphed once more in finding a willing participant for my idea.
While I am eager to try many of the other wonderfully sounding items on the restaurant’s menu, I will do that only when I’m dining there for pleasure, not business, as I don’t wish to spoil my record of accomplishments by straying from a sure thing!
- James Wright
General Director, Vancouver Opera
@jwwright61
