by Stephen Schochet
In 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York, American Indian Chef
George Crum was preparing his specialty French fried
potatoes in the upscale resort he was working at, when he
received word that one of the patrons complained they were
cut too thick. An annoyed Crum decided to slice the delicacy
razor thin to teach the customer a lesson. To his surprise
the guest loved it, and that's how we got potato chips.
Nearly one hundred years later another squeaky wheel named
Cary Grant was having breakfast at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,
when he noticed that his bread dish had three half muffins.
The very rich but frugal actor called the waiter over for an
explanation. He had ordered muffins and wondered why he had
only been served a muffin and a half. When neither the
waiter nor the manager had a sufficient answer, Grant made
several phone calls until he tracked down Conrad Hilton
himself, vacationing in Istanbul. The top man explained that
most customers left the fourth half uneaten so the hotel
stopped serving them. When the star accused Hilton of false
advertising, the Baron ordered that beginning with Grant,
the fourth half would be served from now on. The now
satisfied star finished his meal and paid his bill, complete
with nearly $100 in phone charges.
Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of two highly
acclaimed audiobooks "Fascinating Walt Disney" and "Tales Of
Hollywood". Hear RealAudio samples at
www.hollywoodstories.com.