A week ago I found myself in a hole-in-the-wall “restaurant” near my home. “Restaurant” in quotations because I would not categorize it as such, but with food served, and tables available, I assume this is the best choice. I was picking up food for what was to be dinner for myself and my mother, who wanted something that they were in the process of bringing out from the kitchen. In other words, I had to step aside to wait so that I could complete my order.
During this time I heard other people in line ordering their meals, some on the phone confirming orders for people, some discussing which items they would get so that they could share. You see, the thing about this place is that they serve rather large portions, portions that are surprising given the amount that they charge for their food, portions that I usually have to spread across a couple of days to finish. From what I gathered, I am not the only one who does this as I overheard a woman in line commenting that she was trying to figure out what would make the best leftovers so she could have it the following day.
In general, people were keeping to themselves, speaking either on their phones (as mentioned above) or to the people with them in line. All except for one woman, likely in her 50s. She, rather rudely, was commenting on what people were being served. No, not in terms of “that looks good,” or “is there more of that dish,” but in terms of “are you planning on eating all of that?” Yes, to strangers, she was commenting that it was too much for people to eat, even commenting that “you should just order half of that.” Some looked uncomfortable, others, like the senior citizens in front of her, ignored her. Neither reaction caused her to stop.
I am unsure what could have been said in reply to her comments. I am unsure what prompted them, whether it be a mental issue, or, as I fear, plain rudeness. I do know that due to the small size of the establishment it was not difficult to hear the various plans of people wanting to either save part of their meal for another day, or to even share their meals with others (like I was planning). I also know that it was rude for her to comment as she did to strangers. It is not even a matter of respecting your elders, it would have been out of place for her to comment on this to the teenagers who were in line behind her – the same teenagers who were raising their eyebrows trying to figure out what was wrong with this woman.
Her order, for the record, was a quart size container. Given her comments I doubt she would ever find someone willing to share. After all, if she can speak to strangers in this manner, can you imaging how she would speak to friends?
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