"That's the sound of happy diners," says Herman Keel

[kadioguy]

[From a TOEIC test]

Bistro Pleases

Enter Bentonside Bistro any day for lunch or dinner, and you'll hear the sounds of clinking forks and chattering patrons. "That's the sound of happy diners," says Herman Keel, the restaurant's owner.

Opened two years ago, the bistro has exceeded expectations. The menu features traditional Irish dishes prepared by chef Deirdre Hanrahan. She notes, "We choose ingredients that are at the height of summer, fall, winter, and spring, and showcase these on our menu."

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Jacinta Coelho, a vistor from Brazil, was dining at the bistro. "I can't get over the freshness and homemade taste!" exclaimed Ms. Coelho. "It's like the chef went outside and selected the ingredients just for me."

Bentonside Bistro is located at 1644 Bentonside Road and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The interior is painted in bright shades of blue reminiscent of the ocean, with a rotating gallery of artwork, adorning the walls. The staff is friendly and the delicious food is reasonably priced. Reservations are not required.

(By Declan Mulroney, Staff Writer)

[Source]
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1. What does the "pleases" mean in "Bistro Pleases"? I assume that it is a verb, meaning "to make someone feel happy and satisfied", and is used intransitively, like "Smoking kills".

2. Why are the verbs "say" and "note" in paragraph 1 and 2 in the present simple, while "was dining" and "exclaimed" in paragraph 3 are in the past tense? I assume that that's because the writer thinks that Herman Keel and Deirdre Hanrahan will hold the same opinion at any time.

What do you think?

 

[emsr2d2]

"Bistro Pleases" means that the bistro pleases the diners who eat there. It makes them happy. Unlike "Smoking kills", which expresses a permanent fact, this one is more temporary. It's only saying that, so far, the people who have eaten at that diner have been pleased with their experience.

 

[kadioguy]

A friend told me, "It’s a stylistic choice, and yes it is probably to indicate that they will hold the same opinion at any time. whereas what Jacinta, who isn’t the owner or a staff member, has to say is probably less important. Other reasons news articles use present tense are to make the news seem more ‘fresh’ and to give it a feeling of urgency (because it’s happening right now)."

I agree with him. However, I would also like to hear your opinions.

 

[probus]

I can't imagine what your friend means by "stylistic choice". It is standard headline writing: it states the most salient point as briefly as possible.

 

[kadioguy]

I can't imagine what your friend means by "stylistic choice". It is standard headline writing: it states the most salient point as briefly as possible.

The friend replied to me with my question 2 [not question 1]. I'm not sure if you thought that his reply referred to my question 2. (Or did you think that he was replying to question 1?)

I think that a moderator deleted my quote in post #3 (which I quoted my question 2), so that the reply became confusing. (Which question did it answer?)

I strongly recommend that moderators should leave messages when editing or deleting posts.

Like this:
[XXX (a moderator name) edited content. Reason: ...]
[XXX (a moderator name) deleted post. Reason: ...]

 

[kadioguy]

[From a TOEIC test]

Bistro Pleases

Enter Bentonside Bistro any day for lunch or dinner, and you'll hear the sounds of clinking forks and chattering patrons. "That's the sound of happy diners," says Herman Keel, the restaurant's owner.

Opened two years ago, the bistro has exceeded expectations. The menu features traditional Irish dishes prepared by chef Deirdre Hanrahan. She notes, "We choose ingredients that are at the height of summer, fall, winter, and spring, and showcase these on our menu."

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Jacinta Coelho, a vistor from Brazil, was dining at the bistro. "I can't get over the freshness and homemade taste!" exclaimed Ms. Coelho. "It's like the chef went outside and selected the ingredients just for me."

Bentonside Bistro is located at 1644 Bentonside Road and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The interior is painted in bright shades of blue reminiscent of the ocean, with a rotating gallery of artwork, adorning the walls. The staff is friendly and the delicious food is reasonably priced. Reservations are not required.
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2. Why are the verbs "say" and "note" in paragraph 1 and 2 in the present simple, while "was dining" and "exclaimed" in paragraph 3 are in the past tense? I assume that that's because the writer thinks that Herman Keel and Deirdre Hanrahan will hold the same opinion at any time.

Hi members,
If you don't mind, let's get back to question 2.
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Frined b: When retelling stories, it is common, for dramatic emphasis, to use the present tense, rather than the past.
Me: Do you mean the verbs "say" and "note" in paragraph 1 in the present tense are like telling a story using the present, making it more vivid?
Friend b: Yeah.
Me: Then what do you think of the ones in the past tense?
Friend b: Hmm, I guess it's because you can't really use the present with recent.
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I agree with him. Hoever, I would also like to hear your opinions.

 

[Tarheel]

Tarheel: Kadioguy, I think I agree with your friend.
Kadioguy: Thank you.
Tarheel: You're welcome.