Friday, December 07, 2007

Being True to . . . One's Restaurant

A few weeks ago, I was in a nearby city, and we were looking for a restaurant. Have you ever traveled to a city, where you were looking for a restaurant and you had no clue where to go?

Well, we were looking for a restaurant, and happened into an Italian restaurant. Well, the restaurant said so-and-so's Italian Restaurant. I had a picture of a guy throwing up a pizza to clue in those who could not read the words. There were red and white checkered curtains in the windows, matching table-cloths on the tables. It seemed like an Italian Restaurant.

We sat down, hubbie and I, expecting Italian food, and then opened the menus.

Here are some of the items on the menu:

Seafood – and not just calamari (Italian), but fried flounder, shrimp and other things;

Fried chicken – the least Italian food I can think of;

Quesadilla, and other Mexican dishes – er, not really Italian;

Gyros – yeah, Gyros, Souvlaki and the like;

Hot Subs and something called Hoagies (I think hoagies are a man's sub sandwich);

Wraps – I really don't know where wraps came from, but I don't think they are Italian.

I had a bruschetta appetizer, eggplant parmesan, a small (Greek, I think) salad, and some (American) red wine.

The point of this is not to tell you exactly what I ate that evening; that's just and added bonus. This Italian restaurant is not doing what it is supposed to be doing. I don't want to be able to get won tons at an Italian restaurant – a restaurant needs to be true to itself. A good restaurant, at least.

People are the same way. People need to be true to themselves. Let's say, for instance, I am an extravert, that I enjoy being around people. That I really like going out in public, chatting to people, doing my little social butterfly pollination by flitting from table to table.

I can't just not want to go out and have fun. Now, reading a good book is wonderful, especially if I am surrounded by a warm bath with bubbles. But for an extravert, people get charged with groups.

In high school, part of the ritual was to fit in. And in doing so, we were doing things that were not true to ourselves. We pretended to like movies we don't like, like people who were popular, like music that others like as well. But more than that, we kept secret parts of our lives that weren't so "cool". We kept secret . . . .

I kept secret the fact that I love reading, that I enjoy classical music, that I like corny movies.

Many people remember the good ol' days, when they were in high school. Yeah, I miss them too, but I enjoy so much about being an adult. One of the things I love the most is that I can be me, that I enjoy being me, and I don't really care who finds out that I love to read, that I love reading, that I like corny music.

9 comments:

LarryLilly said...

Yeah, we have Chinese restaurants that have a section where you can get ribs, tacos and fried chicken.

Yeah, just be who you are, and who you want to be. I am older, I am not out to seduce any more women, I dont give a rats ass what others think. I am happy, granted I may not live an exciting life, but I smile every day.

Even when I eat ribs at a Chinese restaurant!

Deb said...

Sometimes, people are full of talents and interests---which make up who they are... Which also makes up what this restaurant's about. It has a vast variety of flavors, just as some people do.

Look at it that way. Sometimes it's great, because if 5 people are going out to dinner- 5 people who enjoy different types of food- everyone will be happy.

:)

Zephyr said...

I'm not sure that in real life I'm much more true to myself than I was in high school. Then it was the other kids holding me back... now it's the family. If you don't have those constraints, I envy you!

Advizor54 said...

Lara,

Why do you let your family hold you back? If they are restraining you from doing something, or being something, you have to ask (1) are they looking out for my best interests and keeping me out of trouble, or (2) are they afraid of disruption, variety, change, and they expect me to act 'just so' so I won't upset their lives.

If it's option #2, you have to get past it and let them get upset. Life is miserable when you are doing thing because someone else wants you to do them. Do what you ant to do, be what you want to be, and as long as you don't ask them for bail money, you'll be surprised at how well things will go.

Southern (in)Sanity said...

Very good point...

Like, why does Arby's serve sub sandwiches?

Why does Subway make pizza?

Have a specialty and stick to it!!!!!!

richmanwisco said...

being a road warrior for the last 5 years, i've always had to find places to eat in towns i've never been to.

sometimes it's a chore, but other times it's a pleasure to find that locally owned, mom and pop that serves an amazing meal.

i'll always ask the client for a recommendation, and they are seldom wrong. sure beats the tgicrappleoutbackfridays of the world.

Ian Lidster said...

There was a Chinese restaurant near here with two cooks. The white guy cooked the Chinese food, and the Chinese guy did the western stuff.

Otherwise, it is always good to be true to yourself and not be at all concerned about what others might think. Yeah, that's an advantage of maturity.

Oh, and here in the west hoagies and subs are synonymous, as I understand it.

Sheri said...

Great post!!!

Leesa said...

larry: I once knew a pizza place that served ribs. Take out.

~deb: but if they serve 5 different kinds of food, will all the food be good?

lara: sometimes family is a blessing as well.

advizor: yeah, speaking to lara the cutie. Not that I am jealous.

rwa: thanks, sweetie.

richman: I like finding those little gems, too. Would rather trip over them myself. Seems more interesting that way.

ian: I thought hoagies were subs. Thanks for the clarification and cute story.

skip: thanks, sweetie.