First, I have a quick update on the pit bull scenario from an earlier post. The dog is currently back at the house, on a shorter leash, and looks fine. I don't know how long the dog was kept by the city or what the owner had to do to get the dog back, but I'm glad to know that the dog is alive and well and there haven't been any other problems - at least thus far. The house we're building should be done in another week or so, and then the family will move in with three kids, so I hope they will all get along.
Now, before I get into this other story, I want you all to know that Trouble and Hipchick have alaready done their entries on this same situation. I have not read either of their entries before writing this one, and they didn't read each others either, so you're getting three distinct views of the same scene. This should be interesting....
The three of us try to meet for lunch fairly regularly and we have our favorite places to go. This particular afternoon we met at Bollywood Indian Bistro in Independence, MO. Indian food is a favorite for all of us, and this particular place not only makes good food, but they do a reasonable costing lunch buffet and have a big screen tv playing Indian movies and music videos while you're eating, so you really get immersed inthe culture. I love it!
Trouble and I got there a couple of minutes early so we went inside to get a table and wait for Hipchick before we got our food. We sat down at the table and immediately got sucked into the music videos (which is easy to do), trying to determine which American artist the particular singer on screen was most like (for example, a skinny, punk looking guy dancingaround with a variety of women was likened to Prince or Robert Palmer). All of a sudden a horrendous noise erupted from the next table, and when we looked over, an elderly "gentleman" (term used loosely here) was basically gagging and spitting up into his napkin. Now, I'm not faint of heart or dainty or anything, but I really don't like the sound, sensation, or anything else associated with throwing up. I have to leave the room when Trouble gets sick - all the love in the world doesn't overcome my aversion to puke. So this old guy is going on for like a minute, and I'm just trying to block it out and look away at something - anything - else. Fortunately for me, there was a very cute baby girl in a high chair who was easy to focus on (or the tv) but the sound was pretty loud and, come on the guy is right next to us! He never got up from the table or took a drink or anything. Finally I leaned over to Trouble and said, "I think you're going to have to go save this guy." Good thing she's done all those clinical hours to get her paramedic certification. Right about then, the guy seemed to pull it together and calm down. I thought that meant everything was going to be fine. I was wrong.
Hipchick arrived and we all went up to the buffet to fill our plates with wonderful food, but when we sat down to start eating, the noises from the next table started up again. Hipchick isn't much better about getting sick than I am (and she has three kids, so I don't know how she manages except that her hubby must be great), and her face about made me drop my fork. I was just trying to ignore the guy untilI heard him fall to the floor or something. Just look away... just look away... focus on the music. Hipchick was facing the opposite direction of the tv so she didn't have that lucky distraction. Since I did, I missed out on al of the guy's antics - apparently he popped his dentures out to clean them at one point - but I know I heard gross noises a few more times throughout our meal. When he finally got up to leave, Hipchick had the most relieved face I've ever seen!
Now I know that this guy may have had some kind of medical condition that made things more difficult or there could be some logical, sensible reason why he kept gagging thru the meal, but is there a line where common decency requires someone to pack up their doggy bag and leave a public place? Everyone is entitled to eat good Indian food, but I don't think most people appreciate having to hear or see that kind of behavior. What do you think?
3 comments:
too funny!
i agree that he should be "allowed" to eat and enjoy a dining experience but we did too. perhaps since they know this is an issue they could asked to be seated away from the rest of the diners. then maybe no one would even notice.
my stomache still gets queasy when i think about eating at Bollywood. it will take me a while to get over this one.
and yes, joel is FABULOUS and takes care of all the puke at our house. if he didn't i would simply spend a lot of money on sheets and towels, because i'd just throw them away. thankfully he cleans them up and then washes them in the machine. he also is the one who attends to them in the bathroom. that's easier than the cleaning for me but sometimes i do end up puking right along with them if he's not around.
this has got to be the grossest set of postings ever! but it has been good reading the different viewpoints.
If there's one thing parenting has taught me, its how to console a sick child as they are vomiting down your back.
you've been tagged for the "7 random things about me" meme!
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