One Last Bratty Moment From Me
Posted: May 7, 2015 Filed under: Diet- comedy 2 Comments
Today a group of wonderful friends took me out to celebrate my birthday. Considering how my actual birthday went with my poor sick husband and daughter I was really looking forward to this lunch. It was a beautiful day and one of the perks of a May birthday is you can enjoy a party outdoors so we picked out favorite ladies who lunch spot with a good terrace.
After we were seated for a few minutes perusing the menu deciding between the Chopped Salad and the Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Salad a head restaurant guy came by and apologized for giving us the wrong menu. Our menu of many salad choices was replaced with a much-abbreviated list of a few salads, one of which was a surf and turf wedge at $31. What?!$%$#$ Who pays $31 for a lunch salad?
The bait and switch was explained to us that it was Duke Graduation weekend and even though the actual graduation day is not until Sunday they change the menu four days in advance so that people don’t see one menu one day and want something off that same menu the next day when they come back. Wait, wait, wait, we saw one menu and picked what we wanted and in a matter of moments it was ripped from our hands.
When our actual waitress came to take our orders she told us she thought she might be able to get us the chopped salad off the old menu. So we ordered seven of them. The same head restaurant guy came outside ten minutes later to give us the bad news that the kitchen had not prepped for that salad and we could not have it. BOO HOO. Outside of the $31 salad the others were a very poor representation of what was possible in the salad world, but we settled on one anyway.
Half way through the meal the same head guy sent us champagne as an apology. Classy move, but as a non-drinker it did nothing for me. Of course the birthday celebration was all about being with good friends, but I am going to whine about the graduation menu anyway. It just is not my year for my birthday to go without a bump. I know it sounds spoiled and selfish to complain at all, but I only ask for one day and now I have to shut up and wait another year for that one day and who knows how many one days I have left.
Thanks to my friends who tried hard to make everything perfect. I’m not standing here stamping my foot, holding my breath, being a brat about you, but really, how hard is it to get a chopped salad? I’ll go back to pretending to be gracious tomorrow, but then again you know me, I am never gracious!
Less Dana, More Good 
Oh Dana, how awful that they pulled the menu after you ladies had already looked at it. It’s hard to believe any decent restaurant kitchen couldn’t compose a decent salad similar to the one the seven of you ordered. You are allowed to brood, my friend. Birthdays do come only once a year, and they should be special. Happy (belated) Birthday. I’d love to make you a lovely salad anytime you say.
Happy Birthday, anyway! Sounds like you have great friends. I am sure next year’s birthday lunch will be a big improvement, and this year’s will bring a lot of laughs — and memories!