The Sounds of Silence at Imperial Garden

Last night I was A) at Best Buy east to pick up the kid's laptop which had had some work done it and B) jonesing for some Chinese food. Earlier in the day I had read a blog post by University of Chicago biologist Jerry Coyne wherein he took a visiting scholar to a Chinese restaurant and the photos made me drool. And so it was off to Imperial Garden.

Now, I'm not going to say that IG makes the best Chinese food nor the most authentic but it's always been serviceable and it was right there on our route home. The thing I noticed right away after being seated was just how quiet it was. There were a few people near us and we could hear them but what was really noticeable was that the Musak was turned down low. This is in direct opposition to the other restaurants I've been to lately. Indeed, probably most joints I've eaten at in the last several years. When did it become standard operating practice for dining establishments to crank music up so as to turn their dining rooms into gastronomic raves?

It's been a couple years since a visit to Qdoba on State Street really got the volume of music into my craw. On that visit the music was so loud I couldn't hear the guy behind the counter asking what I wanted on my burrito. More recently, a trek to The Great Dane at Hilldale for lunch was nearly spoiled by the incessant pummeling I took of Top 40 songs from the 1980s. I liked neither Flock of Seagulls nor Huey Lewis and the News in the 1980s when I was growing up and I don't like them now. So dear Great Dane at Hilldale manager, do you think your clientele like this music or was it blaring for the amusement of your staff who, if memory serves, weren't born when these songs were released and perhaps find them full of retro goodness?

My first experience of the Capital Tap Haus was similar. It was a weeknight and the place was packed. With so many people there, it was bound to be noisy. I accept that. But did you have to have loud crappy music playing on top of all the chattering? I almost had to yell across the table at my companion to be heard which was especially disappointing since he lives out of town and I hadn't seen him in years.

Contrariwise, I loved Imperial Garden. I loved not having music assault my ears as I lapped up my hot and sour soup. It needed a bit more sour for my taste but I was able to enjoy it without having to hear the fucking Ghostbusters theme song which made it worth every penny of the $1.99 I paid for it. I loved not having to repeat myself or say "What?" to The Dulcinea as we chatted because some synth drum pads or AutoTuned nabob got in the way.

So thank you, thank you Imperial Garden.