Yes Pork, No Box

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I don’t have access to the blog or email tonight.

Isabel and I needed our Chinese-speaking family members today at lunch. She had Chinese class today on campus, but Sofia and Jacek stayed at the apartment to do other homework because their Chinese teacher had a family wedding to attend. Isabel and I made it to our regular eating spot, the dirt cheap second floor cafeteria, just a few minutes after it closed at 1:00. We went instead to a new Hong Kong style café just down the row. The food was good, but there were complications. I tried to order the baked rice with eggplant and pork but without the pork. The menu was in Chinese and English and the waiter nodded and smiled when I pointed to what I wanted and said “but no pork” several times. It arrived with a pork sauce on top. I had hoped for a successful vegetarian dish so I could let Sofia know about it, but no go.

Isabel ordered a delicious plate of spaghetti with meat sauce. She loved it, but it was too big to eat all at once. We called the waiter over and pantomimed putting the rest of her beloved spaghetti in a box for us to take home. He smiled and nodded again and took the plate to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he sent the bus girl over to clean up the table. We waited. He stood watching us then went back to the kitchen. We waited. Finally, I said to Isabel, “Let’s go check.” He was standing at the front counter. We pantomimed again putting the beloved spaghetti into a box. He glanced at the kitchen, back at us, then strode back into the kitchen again. When he came out, he just stood there staring at us. Taking a deep breath, he said something in Chinese to another waiter who pantomimed the disposal of the beloved spaghetti into the garbage can. Oh well. Maybe next time we’ll learn to say “box.” I wouldn’t dare try to say “doggy bag.” Who knows what that would get us.