The modern-day Geisha

My housemate Tresna is an absolute foodie.

By foodie, I mean, she practically lives, works and plays in the hospitality industry – so much so I hardly see her. I can however, see the faint glow of an avatar on Foursquare as she hops around town checking into various Melbourne institutions. I’m not sure how much caffeine she consumes a day, but I know it’d be enough to keep me awake for 72 hours straight… and give me mouth ulcers.

I often also enjoy what I’d call ambient aural meditation thanks to Tresna. This involves me getting home from a busy day of work to find her in the kitchen talking about some exotic ingredient I’m not sure where fits in the food pyramid. The way she talks about her passion topic is so loving and soothing, the worries of the world slip away.

Anyway, enough of the homance – Tresna is launching a very useful (and luxuriously indulgent) service and I wanted to share it here with you. It’s Melbourne-based, but I thought the concept alone is interesting enough in regards to how the web is enabling certain levels of intimacies.

The idea is called ‘Geisha 2.0’. It’s not your traditional Japanese tea-pouring Geisha with musical abilities, this is a modern-day urban Geisha. Someone with keys to the city, a friendly demeanour and entertaining conversation to take you out and show you the delights of Melbourne – for a fee.

Tresna says:

“I take people out, unveiling the flavours of Melbourne in an unplanned and modern way. We go out on ‘school nights’. We don’t have bookings, we take our chances. We hit up bars, hop around restaurants, walk up and down alleys, share plates of food, order crazy drinks and talk until we’re tired. No, it’s not free or cheap, but if you appreciate good quality food and wine then this is the kind of night for you.”

Who it suits:

People who like adventure, new flavours, dark alleys, conversation, meeting people, stories, imaginative food, the night time, wine, randomness, sharing, hair-brained ideas, laughing and cheese.

Who it doesn’t suit:

People who like reservations, safe foods, early nights, familiarity. People who are confident already doing this kind of food adventuring on their own.

Tresna comments about her clientele:

“Up until now my experience has been mostly one-on-one. I’ve hosted international business travellers, people on flying visits and people who want to explore Melbourne food in a short period of time. Now I’d like to try something else – small groups of random people coming together for an evening of high end fun. This is your invitation. I’m also wanting feedback and ideas. You may not be interested in coming along but talk to me – give me your thoughts!”

If you are keen on finding out more about Geisha 2.0, then you can reserve your spot on Eventbrite or follow Tresna on Twitter.

http://geisha2.eventbrite.com