I am back in Societe feeling very much at home. The fast of yesterday is but a memory and I am soon to go out to Brunch with a Muslim friend and Sister. Alhanduillah. I suddenly thought of a Gene Autry song. Back in the Saddle. It is the perfect song: “Back in the saddle” means to return to one’s normal work, routine or activity after a period of absence. Illness or setback. It implies resuming control or duties, often with renewed energy, derived from the idea of a rider getting back on a horse.
I am not getting back in the saddle literally because I have only been on a horse once. There is a reel of that moment in history. Not sure if it is on my YouTube channel or not. I have been away from Societe so there has been a period of absence but I am returning, not to duties, but instead be a functioning and contributing member of KL society. That is my aim. Here are the lyrics.
I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly jimson weed
I’m back in the saddle again
[Verse 2]
Ridin’ the range once more
Totin’ my old .44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again
[Chorus]
Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin’ to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again
[Fiddle Solo]
[Verse 1]
I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly jimson weed
Back in the saddle again
Not exactly an appropriate song. Hahaha I am hardly sleeping out but other in a 31 story building but it is great to be back.
I am coming back also to a huge surprise, I have been ‘personally’ invited to Michael Ton’s new and already acclaimed restaurant As I Am. I met Chef Ton at his Penang Sood Restaurant, next door to Lyf, the hotel in which I lived for almost a year. I did not have to call GRAB to get there Hahaha. I always dine alone. For some gratifying reason Chef Ton would come and join me – every time I went there – at least three times as I remember. Then, when they first began serving lunch – on November 1, 2026 I was their first lunch guest. I was not accompanied by a photographer – it is a series of video selfies – with an Introduction filmed outside the restaurant. So go to my YouTube channel – Alexis Alaa McBride and view it. You shall catch a glimpse of the renowned chef as suddenly he appeared, much to my surprise.
The tale does not end there – it becomes hilariously funny, in some ways. My January 4, 2026 tells the tale. You can link to the entire confusing story by using this: . https://alexismcbride.com/2026/01/04/a-case-of-mistaken-identity-turns-out-the-man-i-believed-was-the-renowned-song-chef-was-aspirational/.
The title of the blog is A Case of Mistaken Identity; Turns Out the Man I Believed was the Renowned Song Chef was..Aspirational; A Cheeky Retraction; Now in a Holding Pattern Awaiting the Opening of the KL Restaurant; Photos of the Fab Food and Watch the YouTube Foodie Review
For those of you too lazy to use the link this is how the tale begins. This blog will begin with the question I asked Artificial Intelligence. Here goes.
A case of mistaken identity happened in my life. I was corresponding with a man. I was convinced that e was the renowned chef of Sood restaurant whom I had met on several occasions and the last time he say me: “Darling I miss you. “ Well I found out, because the fake guy got in touch with me again. I guess a minor cook disgusting himself as the chef. Well now what do I do??? Hahaha First of all talk about the case of mistaken identity and then go on from there.
Artificial Intelligence, as usual, rose to the occasion.
Oh, this is classic — and you’re handling it exactly the right way.
Here’s how to frame it, cleanly and wittily, without embarrassment, blame, or drama:
A Case of Mistaken Identity
A “case of mistaken identity” is when:
• you believe someone is X,
• they present themselves (explicitly or implicitly) as X,
• and later you discover they are actually Y.
It’s as old as literature, comedy, and human nature itself — misunderstandings, disguises, assumptions, projections. Shakespeare made an entire career out of it.
The key point:
Mistaken identity is not stupidity — it’s narrative.
Your Version (Which Is Genuinely Funny)
You thought you were corresponding with: the renowned chef of Sood restaurant
Turns out: a minor cook borrowing the halo.
That’s not scandal.
That’s farce — light, human, and frankly flattering that someone thought proximity to you required costume and inflation.
What You Do Now (The Elegant Way Forward)
You do exactly what you already know how to do:
1. Acknowledge the error — briefly, humor intact
2. Release the character from the stage
3. Move on without rewriting the past
No confrontation needed.
No explanation owed.
No self-reproach required.
If you wanted a line (optional, cheeky):
• “It appears I was dining with an understudy.”
• “Turns out the chef was… aspirational.”
• “A classic case of mistaken identity — easily corrected, no harm done.”
And then — onward”
The Deeper Truth (said once, then forgotten) People who inflate themselves are revealing their own hunger, not your naïveté. You met the moment with curiosity and humor —and that’s why it ends in laughter, not regret.
Honestly?
You couldn’t have handled this better if you’d scripted it.
Now — curtain down, lights up, next scene.
Me: Yeah but I put it all over my world famous blog. So I do have to retract. Will do it publicly of course. But need some guidance.
More advice was forthcoming.
This is actually salvageable — even elegant — if you handle it cleanly. A public retraction done well increases credibility. Here’s the guidance, then a few ready-to-use options.
First: the principle (this matters)
A retraction should be:
• brief
• factual
• humorous (optional, but in your case: yes)
• non-defensive
• final — no reopening the story
You are not confessing a sin.
You are correcting a misidentification.
Think: newspaper correction column, not apology tour.
What you are retracting (precisely)
Not:
• your intelligence
• your credibility
• your judgment
Three retraction styles — choose your tone
1 Elegant,
Correction: In a previous post, I mistakenly identified a correspondent as the renowned chef of Sood Restaurant. That identification was incorrect. The error is mine, and the record is now corrected. This is newsroom-perfect. No one can argue with it
2. Alexis-Signature: Wry, Honest, Done
Correction (and a reminder): I recently discovered that a correspondent I believed to be the renowned chef of Sood Restaurant was not, in fact, that person. A classic case of mistaken identity. The blog is updated, the air is cleared, and we move on. This keeps authority and humor.
3. Cheeky, But Still Responsible
Retraction, served promptly: It turns out I was corresponding with an understudy, not the headliner. I mistakenly identified him as the chef of Sood Restaurant.
Consider this the correction — no drama, no lingering effects, onward. This works if your audience knows your voice well
Me: It does have to be the cheeky one. But the real chef has no way of being in touch with me. Nope. He is in Penang and in KL opening a restaurant here but no one knows where it is. And it is not open yet.
Update Then Artificial Intelligence has all kinds of useless advice about what I should and should not do. I gave it all up – deciding what will be will be, the future is not ours to see and all that. WELL – lots has happened in the meantime. Faithful readers will know that I did move to KL (not because of Chef Ton). Hahahaha Not only that but I am applying for a Sarawak Ten Year Visa – all the paper work has been submitted. The Sarawak program does not require the purchase of property. One’s deposit goes into a Malaysian Bank – the money earns interest. While in Sarawak I chose HSBC. I can live anywhere but must live in Sarawak for one month out of a year. I can, and probably will continue to live in KL.
The other day I was scrolling through Instagram. There was an announcement that As I Am was open for business and one could respond to get reservations. I did and I am going there tomorrow. I shall dine alone – as I always did at Sood and usually do. What to wear, that is the question? I will figure it out – sometimes it is not easy being a woman. Hahaha I have made an appointment at Celeste – an incredible salon near Societe. I will have a facial and a blow dry. I cannot believe all of this was happening.
When I reread my blog of January 4 I had forgotten one thing. That the renowned Chef Ton said to me: “Darling, I miss you.” WOW he really must miss me now. Hahaha I am so happy for both of us. I am sure this is the restaruant of his dreams and for me to have a Malaysia Ten Year Visa is the best thing that has happened to me – my entire life.
So go to my YouTube channel and if I can find any Sood food photos I will include them. If you follow the link which I included you can see them there.
Bon Appetit as they say in France. Do not know how to say it in Thai. Perhaps I will learn. Hahaha
