Our Wonkabout editor, Arielle Fleisher, packed up and fled D.C. for the fun lands of Europe and then the not-so-fun lands of Michigan (for grad school), but she managed to pop up in theWashington CityPaper before this vanishing act. Did she make the news section for doing a political crime in a neighborhood ward district or whatever? No! She wrote about "Groupon Etiquette," which is apparently what is involved when you use the online coupons from that pyramid-scheme website instead of just paying for your food:
A friend and I trekked out to the dubious dining destination that is Bethesda to take advantage of a LivingSocial deal I had obtained for Robert Wiedmaier's Mussel Bar. Once the check came — and I was over my disbelief that a bottle of Allagash White could possibly cost $9 — I found myself confused as to how much I should pay for the meal. It's one thing when you go in on a deal with another person, but in this case, I had invited a friend along to enjoy the spoils of the deal I had purchased: $20 in exchange for a $40 discount.
The answer probably turned out to be "one person performs a sex act on the other person, as payment." But you'll have to read it, to find out!Also, is someone going to start writing Wonkabout blog posts again, about the food and the bars and the events and the music and such? Maybe this person should write to the Wonkette editor.[ CityPaper ]
That article left me confused.
<i>My portion of the meal (roughly $17 for mussels and $18 for two bottles of beer) totaled about $35. Add the $7 tip, that&#039;s $42. Now, that&#039;s without the LivingSocial discount. My portion of the discounted check, meanwhile, cost $16. Add the same $7 tip, that&#039;s $23. Now add the initial LivingSocial fee of $20, that&#039;s $43. </i>
No wonder people living in DC have such trouble handling money.
I like food stamps. Their glue has a delicious minty flavor that complements any meal.