Oh man, I get that switch flip completely... had it with a bowl of pho ga from a stall with no name in Hanoi. My rule now is to look for the place with a crowd of locals, especially older folks or families. That logic served me stupidly well in Taipei... the xiao long bao at a random night market cart were better than any fancy place. Penang too, just follow the line for char kway teow. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose a day to the bathroom, but that’s part of it.

Oh man, that reminds me of when my garlic shrimp had everyone checking for an electrical fire! Good times...

Cleanup with just water is the real game changer.

Seriously, the backing pressure changes everything. Try dragging a loose sheet over some end grain versus having it wrapped tight on a block. That clamping force is what actually flattens the wood, not just the grit.

It's just good PR control. They get ahead of the story to shape the message. Makes them look transparent without actually having to be honest. The whole system is managed now.