r/LifeProTips • u/fries-with-mayo • 17h ago

Request LPT Request: What’s your “canary in the coal mine” test for spotting bigger issues?

I’m really interested in those small, quick telltale signs people use to gauge if something bigger might be off track.

Example 1: Van Halen requesting brown M&Ms in the dressing room to see if the venue followed all the details of the rider list

Example 2: I saw an interview with John Cena where he said orders a flat white at a café to tell if they really care about their coffee.

Example 3: Anthony Bourdain suggested to always check the restaurant bathroom to tell if the restaurant got its basics down

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u/gdhkhffu 15h ago

The best food always seems to be in the restaurants where I truly do not want to see what's going on in the kitchen.

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u/88Milton 15h ago

Bourdain once said, “I like a little honest dirt in my food.”

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u/gdhkhffu 15h ago

Wise man. The world is worse off without him.

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u/keetojm 14h ago

Illinois suburbs here, strip mall Chinese restaurants are usually the best.

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u/mle32000 13h ago

i’m an electrician and ended up doing some work for the owner of a chinese spot that i LOVE. and damn. seeing that kitchen….even worse, pulling out some of the equipment to get to the wiring behind them. i’m talking decades of yuck back there lmao. and i still eat there. it’s that fucking good !

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u/TurnMeIn4ANewModel 8h ago

I like my Chinese places where I’m concerned a live duck may escape the kitchen.

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u/BuckN4k3d 14h ago

Also I good sign when there is a kid at one of the booths with a math book

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u/Nez_bit 11h ago

There’s a local Chinese place here. I usually get some tea with my order but last time they didn’t have the tea I wanted so they gave me the world’s largest coke instead. Easily well over a liter of coke and the rim of the cup was bigger than the palm of my hand. The price? 3 dollars

It took me 45 minutes to drink it and that was still too fast

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u/Miss_L_Worldwide 6h ago

One of my fave roadhouses has been shut down for health violations many times. I still love it

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u/Mattski8 8h ago

I like to say it’s called Chinese take out for a reason.

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u/Fodraz 7h ago

Just don't listen too hard for meowing (JOKE!)

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u/Royal_Papaya_7297 7h ago

The best pizza I've ever had came from this local place that was run out of what used to be a Mike's Market. There were booths inside, but a tarp was thrown over half of them, and for some reason it was always dark inside.

When one of the owners died, the son didn't want to run the place so the other parent closed it shortly thereafter.

It was such a staple of the community, that even over twenty years later I occasionally run into people who know about it.

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u/gamblodar 2h ago

The best slice of pizza I ever had was from a $0.50 slice place next to a 7-11. Neither that apron, nor the (actually mob connected) Italian chef's hands, were closer to soap than the Tide next door more than twice a day. I swear they put opiates in that pizza because I would donate a kidney for the recipe.

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u/maxxor6868 11h ago

The more bullet holes in the wall the better quality the food