Meat Meets Digital

An industry friend points out the natural impact and ‘surprise’ of non-stop networking, industry events and business travel, as we sit on the couch in the bar of Santa Monica’s Loews Hotel. Most of it is the same I think, as I recall story after story, networking event after event, party after party, handshake after shake………..yet there are always new faces, energy, and geographic and cultural input.

A very drunk man sitting at the bar, who watched my bag briefly, was being energized by a fellow drunk friend who he just met. When I returned, both of them were sitting with my friend on the couch, food was on the table and he was about ready to order a $500 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon he said. Did/we really need more alcohol? I was fine with my existing not-so-hot, but drinkable Merlot, wondering how they landed at my table, how to get out of an awkward situation and finish what was a quiet but engaging meal with a friend.

I tried to make light of the situation by doing the ‘what do you care about in the biz’ question, thinking that perhaps they would tire of talking about themselves eventually without any input, at least long enough so I could finish my meal and contemplate a Plan B escape plan. “Well, we’re not really in the technology business at all,” is what I heard, which lately, I find incredibly refreshing, more often than not, praying that they are in the arts, health, medicine or wine, fueled by passion and have a passionate story to tell. Thereafter, I’ll learn something new and interesting.

The lesser intoxicated friend (LA-based), said of his new New-Jersey based pal - “he’s the meat man.” My friend and I exchanged that understood look, “is this for real or are you playing a joke on me?” Sure enough, Mr. New Jersey was the meat man, who had “a lottta people in arrrre plant down in Florida, yeah, allottta folks down thearre we dooo. And I started as, wellle, and made it all the way up, I did. And now we do a lot of meat allllovver the country. Florida too. We gotte people in Florida.”

And for a nice looking lady like myself, he really wanted to buy an expensive bottle of whatever wine I wanted, “I have no problem with that, no problem with that. Like outtta my wine cellar, whatcha drinking?” (Doll, Lady, Girl, Sweet thang?) “Yeah, so whatdoyaa think of porkies and beeef and meat and…..”

Man, was my friend adaptable and gracious, even to the way he handled the golf tournament invitation to Phoenix and of course I was invited to, but didn’t have to play, or do anything at all of course…(except to sit there and do what exactly? Blue or pink mini-skirt, do you care?)

Meat met digital met wine met us at Loews this week.