Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Lunch
Today I went to lunch at a little Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant in the shopping district of town. It's a popular spot and is always crowded, and it has a gay little name that is too embarrassing to say aloud. It's located right across the street from where I get my car's oil changed, so I've been there twice before while I waited for my vehicle to be serviced. I think I was there in February and maybe December.
Today I ordered the vegetable pot stickers, as usual (they're delicious) but decided to go with fresh spring rolls instead of fried egg rolls. When the spring rolls arrived, however, they were unappealing; they looked raw, and they were huge, like hot-dog-bun size, with stretchy white human-like skin over some not-very-tasty-looking vegetables. I'm used to spring rolls having a thick wrapper and arriving sliced with sweet-and-sour or plum sauce. These came with a wicked-looking, thick, dark pungent paste. I took one bite to confirm my suspicions and then put the spring roll down. I ate up my pot stickers, which was plenty of food, and prepared to leave.
I put a tip on the table, and then headed for the register to pay. (One is not brought a check at...wait for it...B_e_a 's W0k n'R0ll.) The owner/waitress/jill-of-all-trades hurried past me with a tray for the table next to the one at which I'd been sitting. When she returned to the register to ring me up, she regarded me with great suspicion.
B: You not eat your spring rolls.
Me: Well, no, I didn't really care for them.
B: You had them before. You eat them then.
Me: No, I haven't tried them before. I've had the egg rolls, but not the spring rolls.
B: Everybody else like them!
Me: I'm sorry. They just weren't for me.
B: You always like pot stickers. Next time I only give you pot stickers.
Me: ...Or perhaps I'll order some egg rolls.
B: Okay, okay. Sorry, sorry.
The question here is: how does this proprietress of a very popular restaurant remember someone that's been there only twice before, and months earlier? Not only did she remember my face, but exactly what I ordered and whether I liked it. The hell?
Today I ordered the vegetable pot stickers, as usual (they're delicious) but decided to go with fresh spring rolls instead of fried egg rolls. When the spring rolls arrived, however, they were unappealing; they looked raw, and they were huge, like hot-dog-bun size, with stretchy white human-like skin over some not-very-tasty-looking vegetables. I'm used to spring rolls having a thick wrapper and arriving sliced with sweet-and-sour or plum sauce. These came with a wicked-looking, thick, dark pungent paste. I took one bite to confirm my suspicions and then put the spring roll down. I ate up my pot stickers, which was plenty of food, and prepared to leave.
I put a tip on the table, and then headed for the register to pay. (One is not brought a check at...wait for it...B_e_a 's W0k n'R0ll.) The owner/waitress/jill-of-all-trades hurried past me with a tray for the table next to the one at which I'd been sitting. When she returned to the register to ring me up, she regarded me with great suspicion.
B: You not eat your spring rolls.
Me: Well, no, I didn't really care for them.
B: You had them before. You eat them then.
Me: No, I haven't tried them before. I've had the egg rolls, but not the spring rolls.
B: Everybody else like them!
Me: I'm sorry. They just weren't for me.
B: You always like pot stickers. Next time I only give you pot stickers.
Me: ...Or perhaps I'll order some egg rolls.
B: Okay, okay. Sorry, sorry.
The question here is: how does this proprietress of a very popular restaurant remember someone that's been there only twice before, and months earlier? Not only did she remember my face, but exactly what I ordered and whether I liked it. The hell?
# posted by daisy @
2:40 PM
Comments:
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I really thought this would end differently. Something along the lines of her beating you with a spring roll or harassing you further, pressing you for information on WHY and such you did not care for them. Very anticlimatic. Also, why are you using the word "gay" in the sense of "silly" or "stupid"?
# posted
by 
: 4/05/2006 8:29 PM
: 4/05/2006 8:29 PM
Sorry about the disappointing ending. And yes, I fall on the pro side of the using-"gay"-as-a-pejorative debate.
This whole hillarious encounter reeks of Asian stereotypes to me!!
I wish I had been there...Anyhooo, I am on the con side of the "gay" pejorative debate. I also despise the usage of the words "fag" or "faggot". I used to also not like the word "Queen", but now love it and the words "Nelly" and "Mary"!!
I wish I had been there...Anyhooo, I am on the con side of the "gay" pejorative debate. I also despise the usage of the words "fag" or "faggot". I used to also not like the word "Queen", but now love it and the words "Nelly" and "Mary"!!
# posted
by : 4/06/2006 2:09 PM
: 4/06/2006 2:09 PM
I'll not weigh in on the "gay" pejorative debate as I'm the absolute worst at being vulgar and I don't really think this qualifies as vulgar. Very funny though, very funny. We have a favorite Chinese place here and have had equally entertaining encounters with the owners. I still enjoy your blog very much!
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