Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Meeting sources at bars: Bad idea

"You shouldn't s**t where you eat."

That's a crude phrase that means you shouldn't date where you work. In journalism, I think the same applies to friendships from sources. Thus, I felt self-conscious trading e-mails with Mr. Munch, a friend of Chuck E. Cheese's who has been featured in this blog.

A former Pizza Time Player, Munch resides in Riverside, Calif., and is not that far from Long Beach. After several e-mail exchanges, I learned he loves this Snooze Button Generation blog, Lloyd Dobler and Atari and he recently urged me to meet him at the Pike Restaurant & Bar in Long Beach.

I kind of like the Pike Bar, too, so I thought it would be OK meeting Mr. Munch. Egads, that was a horrible idea!As soon as I arrived at the Pike, Mr. Munch put me in a headlock and then bought me a cocktail. Eventually, I finished my drink, and he bought me another one, saying, "What's wrong with you, Snooze Button boy? Are you a lightweight or what?"

Munch then kept making fun of the patrons at the Pike by referring them as "hipsters," "hipster wannabes" and "hipster doofuses." Embarrassing! Why judge, Munch? Why judge?

Munch urged me to consume more cocktails, and before I knew it, we were doing the Fourth Street Shuffle, hitting the Red Room, Fern's and then the V Room, where I ran into my pals Len and Kris.

"What's going on with the blue ape?" Len asked.

"I don't know," I said. "He used to be a performer at Chuck E. Cheese. Now, I think he's just a drunk."

Thankfully, last call hit at the V Room, and Munch called a cab. He said he was taking the cab to Downey to stay with his friend Pasqually.

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