I understand the spirit of the argument when people express displeasure at having an overwhelming, glittering corporate presence at the Rose Garden.
I also understand that all big corporations were well-run small corporations at one point, and that castigating large corporations for nothing more than being large is sort of asinine (the 'South Park' argument
![Big grin](images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
).
However, there is certainly a qualitative difference between the business practices of most national giants and smaller, more nimble concerns.
For one, can you tell me one national chain restaurant where I can get Czech food? Bento? Fresh sushi? Authentically Spicy Thai? Bi-Bim-Bop or Kimchi? Ethiopian flat bread and vegetables? Masala or Tandoori? Pochero or Kaldereta (Filipino)? Jerk chicken - I mean REAL jerk chicken?
During my business travels I've been to 48 states and about 160 cities, and let me tell you, it's a wasteland out there. There's nothing but chains with 1,500 calorie blooming-onions or chicken in a bun that tastes exactly the same no matter if the name says Applebee's or O'Charley's or Ruby Tuesday's or Chili's or The Cheesecake Factory or Bennigan's or T.G.I. Friday's or Olive Garden or Red Lobster.
I got to the point where seeing a Subway was a religious experience, since I knew that I wouldn't have to throw half my meal away and it wouldn't precipitate arteriosclerosis!!
So, in sum, while I admire large business for being successful, I can completely identify with the "elitists" out there who like a more authentic, local experience.
Maybe the best solution has already been articulated, in that we can have a few nationally-known chain-food schlep-shops there to draw in the middle-aged, Cadillac and Hummer with "drill baby drill" bumper-sticker driving, distended-belly, Miller-Lite drinking, Mid-West and Mid-South suburb-living account managers whose glory days blew by them in their Junior year of high school so they can spend liberally on their middle-aged, easy to impress vendors who had their best time
ever at the Excalibur buffet line in Vegas in 2006.
Meanwhile, the rest of us get a nice selection of local and ethnic fare to enjoy on warm summer evenings by the ball park.
Problem solved!!