LIVING LIFE

On Christmas, we decided to join a very large party of friends who were meeting for dinner at a local restaurant. Due to the number of people, we occupied four tables which were all next to each other. We arrived at 5 p.m., anticipating a good experience.

Here is a timeline of the evening:

Everyone was seated by 5:15 – we were off to a good start.

By 5:45, table one and table two had been served their soup and egg rolls. The other two tables were beginning to show signs of food envy.

At 6:15, table three received egg rolls followed by soup at 6:45. 

Table four received their soup and egg rolls at 7:00 but had to ration their food due to an inadequate supply, which created a scene resembling Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist.

By 7:30, tables one and two had completed their meal. Table three had received most of their food and resigned themselves to the fact that the food that they did receive was tasty.

By 7:45, table four left the restaurant having received only two out of five of the promised entrees with one diner yelling loudly about the entire experience.

At, 8:00, which was three hours after the the starting time, table three stood up to leave when one person discovered that his car keys were missing. A frantic search with multiple iphone flashlights began which yielded just one very long, dried up noodle. After scouring the area surrounding the table and multiple rechecks of pockets, one table mate suggested looking in the front pouch of the key owner’s sweatshirt. Much to his surprise, the missing keys dropped out and out of relief, a Christmas miracle was declared.

With the exception of a few people, everyone agreed that in spite of the three-hour, partial dinner, it was an entertaining evening.

I am guessing that if we had received fortune cookies, they all would have said “If you eat out on Christmas Day be patient and flexible.”