Dear Pittsburgh Folk:
Don't go to AIELLO'S PIZZA. Despite having a bad experience once before, I decided to give it a try again tonight. I ordered two slices to go. Then, out of nowhere, one of the gentlemen behind the counter decided to stick his fingers into his mouth and start whistling. No reason, no cause -- and no short duration either. He just stood there with his digits in his maw until he decided to take my pizza out. He then commented that the crust had "broken," and grabbed the crust of my pizza slices with his recently-oral hands and started kneading the dough together, somehow I suppose forgetting that the dough was already cooked. I paid my $3.70 and just left. I wasn't going to bother arguing over the money, but I wasn't going to touch that pizza either.
I know a lot of people who would find this blog entry passive-aggressive, but I find your reluctance to complain over a measly $3.70 sympathetic. I too loathe arguing with cave people (and no, I'm not talking about the 1/4 red creature for 1RR).
What disturbs me is that I suspect this sort of thing goes on behind the scenes at many a dive unbeknownst to consumers.
I don't see it as a reluctance to complain so much as a value judgment. Which is worth more here: $3.70 or your dignity and time? In Rich's case, clearly it was the latter.
If you've ever seen somebody in a restaurant or store complaining publicly about something, what were your thoughts on that person? It's just seldom worth it to cause a scene when it's not going to get you anything other than potential personal satisfaction. He certainly didn't want another pizza from that location, which is the best they could've offered him in response to complaint.
Personally, I applaud the restraint and dignity to pay and leave rather than cause a scene. It's refreshing and certainly something we don't see enough of anymore.