During my ceaseless observation of human nature, I have identified a peculiar phenomenon that occurs in restaurants. Let’s use last night as an example. I was in line to order, right behind a woman who told her husband she wanted the pork tenderloin sandwich. Not what I would get at a barbecue restaurant, but so far, so normal. She then flagged down a member of the staff and asked him which meal he recommended. He listed a few of his favorites: the slaw burger, the catfish plate, the chopped brisket. The customer’s brow wrinkled. What about the pork tenderloin sandwich? she asked. The employee gave a diplomatic answer, she thanked him, and she ordered the sandwich.
Why do people do this? It breaks my brain. If you know what you want, that’s great! You’re happy, and it saves everyone else time. If you want to check if your preferred meal/restaurant/hike/whatever is any good, ask about it directly. That makes sense too! Yet people instead ask broadly and get upset when the employee doesn’t recommend the thing they already know they want. Douglas Adams would have a field day with this. Alas, this is not satire; this is my reality, and I grow more confused by the week.
Back to the trip! I didn’t sleep especially well, thanks to the lingering effects of the shot, so I rested for a while and left the hotel around 10. Fifteen minutes later, I had crossed into Arkansas, home of great musicians like Levon Helm and Bill Clinton. Some parts of the Ozark region are quite lovely—the fall foliage, the rolling hills, the long and winding roads. The manmade additions are less enjoyable. The rural houses are crumbling, shambly creations, and there’s more Confederate flags here than anywhere else I’ve been.
The weather was chilly, and I didn’t feel like doing much besides driving, so I stopped for lunch in Russellville and hightailed it into the Little Rock suburbs, where I found a cheap hotel. I spent the rest of the day playing music and recovering. I’m feeling much better now, and should be ready for a more rigorous tomorrow.
I had to chuckle that you included one of Arkansas’s best known sons and saxophone player in the same company as Levon Helm. I have never been to Arkansas, and I think it’s the only state that Jeff has not been to. Interesting contrast between the natural beauty of the state and the poverty of the people that live there. Glad you were feeling better enough to look forward to a more active day today. Sounds like the wintry weather that we are experiencing right now reaches all the way down to Arkansas. It has been bitter cold here. Mid to low 20’s at night and low 30’s day time. You need to get further south!
Love, Grandma
Why do people disguise what they want? Maybe they’re embarrassed to ask for it directly for one reason or another. Lots of great minds have pondered this, and if I get into naming some I’m asking for trouble (they’re not very “fashionable” today).
“… Deliver us, Lord, from this golden calf —
People only want what they cannot have.
Forbidden fruit —
That’s the fruit that you better not taste.
Forbidden fruit —
You’ve got one life that you better not waste.” — Robbie Robertson