I was attending the monthly Freelancers, 3rd Sunday meetup in Burma Restaurant in Chinatown on a chili March day in 2011. Located on 6th Street near the Friendship Archway, the second-floor restaurant is popular with local politicos such as Mayor Adrian Fenty and Attorney General Eric Holder, as well as artists and activists, and fans of Nobel Peace Price laureate Suu Kyi.

Many also came to greet the Sao (princess). Jane Nuwadee Tinpe’s husband served as a diplomat in Britain, India, and in D.C. The princess and her husband, a diplomat, lived in big houses that her family ruled for generations. She never had to cook because maids took care of their daily chores.  But in 1989, they fled Burma after a coup and the military regime rebranded the country Myanmar.  The Sao and her husband then opened this restaurant on New Year’s Day in 1990, and they have been serving mohinga and curry ever since.

John Tinpe, the youthful 40-something son of the Sao, is a globetrotter and public servant who has been recognized by the Mayor for his community service.  For several years, he served as the Chair of the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islanders in the District.  In 2010, he was instrumental in saving the Mayor’s Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA) when a budget proposal to demote the office and cut its staff was proposed.

In his free time, he works as a supernumerary or extra in the Washington National Opera and Kennedy Center Ballets at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

One particular patron was having difficulty deciding. He constantly ordered the Burmese mango pork, with the delectable pieces of pork braised with pickled mango; it simmered a lasting impression that he often savored during long days in the office.  With the advent of the new year, he wanted to branch out and broaden his culinary horizon.  But indecisiveness gripped him, and John Tinpe was getting a tad bit impatient since he had a whole dining room of guests.

“I can’t decide between the fish curry and tamarind fish. Why don’t you just choose for me?” he asked. “I make enough decisions at work.”

I looked at him in disbelief. “Wow, you make huge decisions for the government daily that affect millions, and you can’t choose a damn spice?”

JR, the event organizer, looked at his watch. “Wouldn’t it be great if all 30 of us attendees could order from the phones. Too many people, too many choices, too little time.”

“And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could discover who ordered what dishes in the past,” his son David added. “If I knew that a particular friend that I respected enjoyed a certain dish, that would provide instant validation.”

So when the last dish was served, and all the attendees were satiated, I gingerly approached John with these seemingly trivial issues.

He was beyond receptive. “Hey, why don’t you build a site where people can order dishes from their phones, then select and save their favorite ingredients and spices in their own foodie profile?”

“One customer always orders the mango pork, the other prefers coconut chicken curry,” JR chimed in. “Maybe they should be a little adventurous and switch orders next time.”

“I’m sure if they did that, neither one would complain, or notice for that matter,” John added with a healthy grin.

After working arduously for a week, I was ready to demo the prototype.  It was unrefined and barely working, but the only goal was to prove John’s idea was viable.  Now I just needed to find participants. 

Last month, I attended an eatup hosted by Foodspotting.  The site was launched in 2009 as a way to discover and rate specific dishes. While Yelp was focused on reviewing restaurants, Foodspotting would only feature the dish and didn’t accept negative comments.  The Silicon Valley startup could not have emerged at a better time.  With the advent of the smartphone and social media, food photography became a popular, ritualistic behavior and Foodspotting became the Pandora for food.  

The eatup at People’s Ramen in Columbia Heights D.C. was attended by Nom Nom Boris, a food blogger “who is eating the world one dish at a time” and Dan Rosenstein, a professional food photographer.  Dan was using a Nikon D500 DLSR, with a 24mm wide-angle lens.  He covers all types of food and also shoots sports, concerts, corporate events, and parties.

Lisa Mathias, who was the local ambassador for the group, was also a writer for Citysearch, an online guide to finding local businesses.  Over the year, she had compiled an extensive list of her favorite restaurants from different cuisines, so she was always open to new suggestions. 

So I contacted Lisa with a suggestion for a new event.

“Perfect. I’m half Indian and half Filipino, so Burmese is right in the middle.”

During the eatup, the dozen or so foodspotters scanned a QR code that showed pictures of each dish listing their ingredients and flavors. The page also provided examples of people’s food profiles, so you could see what a particular person liked or disliked. Each person would then make their own selection and provide a brief critique.

What helped was that foodspotters not only enjoyed sharing food, but they had an inclination to discuss intricate details about which particular dish or ingredient they relished.  

“Mmm the golden fingers — calabash sticks served with tamarind sauce and deep-fried to crispy perfection,” Lisa said.

I was in good cheer, as I collected lots of feedback which would assuredly enhance our growing trove of information.

“This was a fun event, and I’m glad you guys were able to test out our model,” I said. “John will be thrilled to see the results.”

“You have an interesting idea,” said Lisa. “Are you trying to build a competitor to Foodspotting?” 

“Absolutely not.  We’re here to complement not compete. While you deploy your army of foodspotters to taste and capture each dish, we’ll collate your content, so customers can make better, more informed decisions.”