I love free food…who doesn’t? I am pretty sure that half the members of Sam’s Club simply join up for the all-you-can-eat sample splurge that take place each Saturday at these mega-stores. And while I ever eat the dill pickle offered with sandwiches at many quality delis, I still happily accept the gift. Most of the reasons we put up with boring wedding ceremonies is for the opportunity to feast upon the bountiful buffet at the reception.
It seems to me that ‘free,’ often becomes expected…and we get pissed when we do not get what we expect.
One of our favorite sushi spots ALWAYS gives our table an impressive ‘amuse-bouche.’ Before I go any further, I just want to make it clear that I have NEVER used the term ‘amuse-bouche’ before…I just think that it sounds kind of dirty. Anyway, this sushi restaurant always gives us some little appetizer before we even get through ordering. We all are always EXTREMELY grateful for this complimentary bite. It might be because we tend to go as an ENTIRE family to this place EACH Sunday and the whole staff knows us…or it might just be the chef’s way of pawning off the fish that is going bad…But either way, we have come to expect our free ‘pre-appitizer’ snack.
Our usual ‘amuse-bouche’ (wow I hate that term), from our one of our favorite sushi joints. I always wonder if they actually bought the spoons bent like that…
Well the other day, our expected ‘freebie’ never came. I was caught off guard and sort of pissed. I had come to expect these ‘amuse-bouches’ (damn, I said it again) as part of our meal and our ordering and appetites depended on them. I don’t know if we pissed off the waiter by failing to tip sufficiently on our last visit, or if the chef finally could not take my ridiculous pickness…but no complementary treat was served that night. My whole world was thrown upside-down.
What would all those big-chains be without the free bread baskets? What would happen if you went to your neighborhood mexican restaurant and the free chips and salsa were suddenly absent? And how you could you possible have a restful evening after getting home with your Chinese-takeout and discovering you were missing the fortune cookies!?!
When ‘Free’ becomes expected…is it really still ‘free’???
Well, we returned back to our sushi spot. We sat at our same table, had our same waiter, and as usual, the manger passed to say hi to each of us. While I did not say anything, I still wondered…”our we getting our free appetizer?” YES. We did. Routine and familiarity was re-established, and I instantly became at ease. My world was back to normal, and we enjoyed the rest of the meal . It is amazing how something that is ‘free,’ can have such a big impact on an entire dinner.
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