Monday, October 3, 2011

Friends and Foodies

It was an interesting weekend, folks.  Not only did I bake a cake with an superfluous egg (which turned out blessedly normal), but I was able to try out two new restaurants.  OK, so the restaurants are not exactly new, but they were new to me.

On Saturday, I went with my mother and our two best friends to Pizzeria Lola.  It was amazing on many levels.  First, it is very close to my parents' house, which makes the drive almost unnecessary.  Second, the pizza and food were awesome.  I had the Lady Zaza pizza, which was an Asian influenced pie that featured an ingredient that I have long been curious about:  kimchi.  This pizza has a kick, but it was sooooooo worth it. 

For an appetizer, my mother and I split an order of roasted Brussels sprouts.  That's right, you heard me.  I ate my Brussels sprouts, and I loved it. 

Aside from the food and location, the other amazing thing about this place was the amount of customers.  It is not a large restaurant, even though the use of outdoor dining space does increase the number of tables substantially in warmer MN months.  We arrived at 5 p.m., which is early for dinner by most standards, but they do not take reservations. 

When we arrived, there were already other people seated and eating.  By 5:15, the place started to fill up.  By 5:30, people were starting to be put on wait lists.  If you don't understand what I am saying, please know that 5:30 p.m. is still rather early for dinner in these parts.  To be told that you have to sit and wait for a table to open when you arrive at this time is unusual.  But people waited.  Patiently, I might add.

We kept our booth full for almost two hours before we went home to sample my extra-egg cake. 

On Sunday, I tried another restaurant, this time with my high school friends.  It was a lunch event, and there was a toddler present, so it was a different vibe altogether.  Also, this particular restaurant must not attract a lot of Sunday lunch-goers, because we pretty much had the dining room to ourselves.  The food was alright, and I would probably not fight a request to return, but my preference will always be Lola's.

Aside from all the eating I did this weekend, I was also able to come to an interesting observation.  As we sat around chatting about life on Saturday night, my friend shared a story about her husband.  Now, for starters, we all think her hubby is a fantastic guy.  Seriously.  I gave a speech at their wedding, and I believe I made it publicly very clear that there is no better man in the universe for my best friend. 

One might think that my opinion could be challenged over time, but she is continually supplying us with information that confirms that he truly is a really great person.  You may be wondering what it was that has lately led to my confirmed beliefs.  Prepare to be amazed.

My friend's husband not only cooks and cleans, he also does errands.  Apparently, in his recent run to the store, he came home with a new bottle of my friends' body wash.  Not because she put it on his list and not because she asked him to buy it.  He bought it because he noticed that she was running low.  I italicized in the previous sentence because I want to be clear that this is truly an amazing feat.

It has been my experience that most people do not pay attention to the toiletry supplies of others, especially the ones that they themselves do not use.  The fact that this person who is first of all MALE should pick up on the subtle cue that my friend's body wash may be running low due to the fact that it was turned upside down is nothing short of amazing.  At least to me it is.

This story spurred my mother to again ask whether or not my friends' husband had any single friends for me.  We laughed, but my mom was semi-serious.  It was this part of the conversation that led me to my epiphany. 

Most of my friends are married to wonderful men.  Honestly, I could not be happier with how things have worked out for them.  When most of one's friends are married, one faces the inevitable question, "Don't any of their husbands have friends for you?"

Yes, my friends' husbands do indeed have friends.  Many are already married, but there are indeed a few singles.  It is not a totally outlandish assumption to guess that since the husband is such a great guy, it follows that his friends are all considerate bodywash-noticing gentlemen as well.  But this is a dangerous presumption.

Here is why.

In the reverse of this scenario, say that a guy was to ask his married buddy to be set up with one of his wife's friends because she seemed like a terrific gal.  Heck, she made his buddy unbelievably happy, and surely her friends would have to be just as great.

And you know, her friends may be just as great.  But in a different way.  In the case of me and my best friend, while we get along like gangbusters, we are definitely different in many ways.  She finds housecleaning cathartic; I find it barbaric.  She is capable of jumping in and chatting amiably to just about anyone; I tend to hang back and observe.  I could go on, but you get the picture. 

The things that make her seem perfect to her husband's friend may not be things that translate well to me.  Would he be disappointed?  Possibly.

This analogy should demonstrate pretty clearly why I cannot expect the friends of my friend's husband to possess some of the unique qualities of the man himself.  I simply do not think that bodywash awareness translates.

Does this mean that I shouldn't consider a set up with a friend of a friend's husband?  Not really.  If there was some serious thought put into personality type, lifestyle and tastes, I would consider trying it out.  But expectations should be carefully made; no one is a carbon copy of their friends.

I hope that this epiphany does not come across as snarky or discouraging.  It was not my intention to sound this way; I simply wish to share this interesting "discovery" and offer my perspective.  If you take anything away from this entry, take my restaurant recommendation for Pizzeria Lola.  I am confident that in this discovery, I am definitely 100% correct in my opinion. 

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