This sounds so simple but for Kathy and I it always became a source of conflict. We both wanted to eat but the issue was first… Where to eat?… Do we eat there or bring the food home?… Are they open?… Do we have to make a reservation?… Will there be parking?… I would ask where Kathy wanted to eat. She would say anywhere is fine, you decide. I would insist that this time she should choose. She would say she didn’t care. OMG, OK I’ll decide. How about this place? She wasn’t sure… then I would start with other alternatives and suddenly we didn’t know where to go. Eventually, we would decide, but it never seemed settled. I seemed to always pick the same places and Kathy usually wanted to go somewhere new. Whatever. Once we decided then it was off to the restaurant.
Then we get to the restaurant… they said there was no need for a reservation because they weren’t busy when we called. We get there and are told that the wait will be about 45 minutes. You have got to be kidding. But you said there would be no wait. Answer… we didn’t anticipate all of these people coming today at this time. Usually, today is slow. Sorry for the inconvenience. Now what… we just wait. Then we are seated. This is a restaurant I have been to before. I pretty much know what I want. Kathy as she always does is looking for something new. OMG don’t order something you haven’t had before. I know you will be disappointed. You can count on one hand the number of times that she ordered something new on the menu and liked it. Maybe this time would be different. They cannot screw up the drinks…right? Also, I can order an appetizer that I also know will be good because we have had it before. Again, Kathy always wanted to try a new appetizer… ok just this once. I didn’t know the dip would be spicy or why is this appetizer so small and for so much money. I wish we had just ordered the appetizer that we normally get. Forget about it… some things never change. So she, as is normally the case, orders something new. It is delivered to the table and what is also predictable she doesn’t like it. I say, “send it back or get something else”, “No, It’s Fine.” Maybe I can eat some of yours. Sure, no problem. I always look forward to going somewhere for breakfast where it is difficult to get something new. She could order Eggs over easy, hash browns, sourdough toast, bacon and Coffee. No problems there. However, she would take that limited list and order their homemade sausage which as it turns out has weird spices in it or the hash browns wouldn’t come crisp and of course they always forgot the sour cream she ordered. The coffee was fine and they kept the mug full. Look, one of our everyday pleasures was going out to eat and I wish Kathy was still there to make finding a place difficult, always ordering something new that she wouldn’t like and actually being a bit high maintenance… I really miss all of that and I wouldn’t mind dealing with that again and again. I hope you can relate to this ritual. I am sure something like this happens all over the place with couples. It is just part of the experience. At the end of the day food is a serious subject and we all do it differently. It is amazing that we are able to pull this stuff off as often as we do. Enjoy eating out.
