This morning, as I thought about last night’s incredible victory by the Green Bay Packers over the Atlanta Falcons (for much of the game, it was the most lopsided matchup since Grandma Moses challenged Hulk Hogan to a cage match) I suddenly remembered an interesting moment from last Sunday during the Packers’ first-round playoff game with the Eagles. We had no interest in cooking or doing dishes- not when we had our Packers to cheer on – so we called our favorite Chinese restaurant, Main Moon and ordered food for pick up. If we had thought it through a little better, we would have timed it so I would pick up the food during halftime, but we dawdled- and I had to leave about ten minutes into the third quarter, with the game too close to call. All I could hope is that Main Moon would have our food ready on time (which would be highly unusual, if not completely unprecedented) so I could be in and out of there and back home in front of the TV as quickly as possible.
As I walked from where I parked my car to the door of Main Moon, I had to walk past our local Perkin’s… and when I glanced through the front window, I was surprised not to see anyone sitting at any of the tables. I looked a little further- and it turns out that there was not a single customer in the whole place. Not One. And it was 6:15 p.m. – right in the middle of the dinner hour – which could only mean one thing. Nobody was there because everyone was watching the Packer game. Eventually, I caught a glimpse of the one and only waitress- and the manager- and I presume there was one cook back in the kitchen- all just sitting there with not one single customer to serve. And something inside of me said “You must do something” – and so I walked into Perkin’s, walked up to the cash register, and ordered two pieces of pie to go. I like to call it Pity Pie. I had absolutely no craving for it whatsoever… but just had to get something to give those nice folks at Perkins something to do. Of course, once I walked out of there, the place was just as empty. But for approximately three and a half minutes, that manager and waitress had a purpose…. and I have to say that it was $5.90 that was very well spent.
Of course, this is the same guy who will order dark meat at KFC. . . not because he prefers it but because he feels sorry for the dark meat because so many of the customers order white and he doesn’t want the dark meat to feel completely unloved.
I know, I know. . . I’m weird. But at least I’m weird AND very nice.
pictured above: the empty Perkin’s restaurant.