Restaurant Conversations
 

I read a similar thread on this topic on the Europe board and thought I would introduce it here just for fun.

My story: my sister and I were on vacation with two dear friends at an exclusive restaurant in a resort setting. We had an incredible time laughing and reminiscing about childhood memories which are very funny. I'll share one story: our mother who was in a nursing home for the last 3 years of her life was mentally competent, just physically unable to care for herself. She developed an intense dislike to a lady who also lived there who bragged about her age - 94. Mother was 80. When we commented about how good she looked, Mother would always snort and say something, like "she is such a know-it-all." At 94, I would suppose you would know a thing or two, but we always laughed and told Mother that there were show-offs at any age. This woman sort of lorded it over all of the other aged residents and it really ticked Mother off how she would take advantage and always say "I'm 94 years old." Anyway, one day I went to visit Mother and she informed me that this lady had passed away in the night. I expressed my regrets and Mother sniffed and said, "She thought she was so much better than the rest of us, but she died with a half-eaten Snickers candy bar in her hand."

Now, I'm sorry, but the way she said it and the idea of this old, old woman dying with a chocolate bar in her hand struck me funny, and I told this story at the table.

We all have been in situations where the entire dining room was disrupted by raucous patrons, and we were not this way, although we did laugh about this.

When we were enjoying our after-dinner coffee, a couple sitting next to us stopped and the man put his hand on my shoulder, which caused conversation to stop at our table. He thanked us for a wonderful evening and his wife joined in and said that they could not remember a time when they enjoyed their dinner and the company as much.

We were surprised and a little abashed, but what the heck.

Have you ever overheard an interesting tale in a restaurant and would you comment to the raconteur?

While we certainly occaisionally overhear a conversation (usually not by choice!), nothing stands out in my memory. But I just can't imagine ever commenting to strangers in such a situation.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you're sure that it wasn't just that, because you were a larger party, you're conversation was louder? Or because the tables were very close?

If not, apparently they were engrossed in your conversation because they were having none of their own. And that's a little sad.

Or, I suppose another perspective is that your table was having such a good time and doing such a good job of story telling, that they just couldn't help getting caught up in it! That would be quite a nice compliment!

Sorry, should be "your conversation" not "you're conversation"!

Seven of us had a hysterical dinner at a rooftop restaurant in Oaxaca last Christmas. I don't think we were loud or obnoxious, but it was just one of those evening where everything sets you off.

There was one couple seated at a table quite near us, and as I glanced at them to be sure we weren't disturbing them, the man caught my eye and said, "Where are you all from, and is there room for more?"

A number of years ago - before I met the man of my dreams - I was briefly dating a guy from New Jersey who happened to be black. I happen to be white. This seemed to disturb people, on occasion, when they saw us together. One evening we were having dinner at a restaurant in downtown Toronto, and a conversation started up at a nearby table. It began in hushed tones but got louder as one of the participants got deeper into the house wine. Eventually it developed into a racist harangue that could be heard all over the restaurant. The waitstaff were clearly embarrassed and we could see that they were trying to figure out what to do about all of this. My companion solved the problem for them, though. We had to leave anyway - we were on our way to a symphony concert across the street from the restaurant - and as we left, he stopped by the table in question and dropped a two-dollar coin (we use those in Canada, you know) next to the offender, saying "Thanks for the entertainment!" The restaurant erupted in applause.

I was in New York a couple of years ago working and Mr. GoTravel had flown up to meet me. We met at The Broadway Bar at the Marriott Marquis.

Mr. GoTravel was telling me how one of our obnoxious neighbors was dressed up at a plain M&M for Halloween and managed to offend a customer in Mr.GoTravel's restaurant's bar. The offended customer (upscale dining) punched out the offending M&M.

(The offending M&M made offensive remards about the patron's wife's chest)

So here we are in the Broadway Bar laughing hysterically with tears running down our cheeks. We couldn't stop laughing.

The manager came over and was so delighted we were having so much fun that he picked up our $100 bar tab.