Catching up

Have you ever been embarrassed at a restaurant dinner before because you were treated too well? Maybe it's the introvert in me talking, but I certainly don't do well under the spotlight. I get the rabbit-caught-in-headlights syndrome and end up smiling awkwardly while making unintelligible squeaks and other general noises. Charming, eh?

My old boss took us out for dinner at a grand old Chinese restaurant the other day. We sat down at the biggest round table I've ever seen.. all 13 of us. Of course, the food was yummy (so says everyone else) and of course, I got the usual tofu and plate of something green ordered just for me. (Frankly, it's because of this that I'm reluctant to tell people I'm vegetarian. I'd rather just order off the menu and pick out the meat.) 

So all the embarrassing stuff happened right at the end. To my left, were three very very hungry boy-men who had just spent all day operating on people. To my right was my very hungry Hubbs and more hungry surgical colleagues. Imagine the chagrin of all of them when the waiter marched up behind me, plonked a takeaway container and started placing all the little dessert cakes and jello into it! The boys were grabbing last handfuls before everything disappeared into the box. I was so busy laughing at them, I didn't realize the box was for me until the waiter snapped the lid shut and pushed it in front of me. Then came the bowl of peanuts from the beginning of the meal that one of the boys had joked about taking home. A takeway box with a smattering of peanuts was also set in front of me. 

I was really quite embarrassed by now because I didn't want the food, but I didn't want to appear rude or ungrateful either. 

So the icing on the cake were the oranges that were dumped into the bag full of packed leftovers in jest, and then the special order of mango pudding that my boss had bought just for me. By this point, I really didn't know whether they were all laughing with me, or at me, for being vegetarian :(

That aside, it was nice to see everyone again. Guess I'll just stick to that memory.