On Wednesday evening, Megan and I went out to eat with my parents to a little place called Top of the Viaduct. They have been running full-page ads in the Massillon Independent promoting their 30th year in business. To celebrate the occasion, T.O.V rolled the prices back 30 years on some of their "customer favorites."
A cup of coffee was 49 cents.
A slice of homemade pie was 79 cents.
A 7oz Sirloin Steak with a baked potato, side dish, and roll was $5.99.
Needless to say, the place was pretty busy for the dinner crowd (a lot of "white-hairs" too). As we were waiting in a descent sized line, a lady from the front announced that there was a table for six in the back.
No takers.
Standing in front of us was an older gentleman and his wife (they were probably in their 70's) and the gentleman turned around and asked how many we had in our party. We told him four, and he surprised us by asking if we all wanted to sit together...
Sit with total strangers? Eww...
Our stomachs were speaking louder than our thoughts, so we accepted.
We introduced ourselves, had conversation (we all had a lot in common actually), and we left the restaurant with a greater comfort level. The odd thing was that we had to wait for our food for over 45 minutes. There was no room to sit there like deaf mutes. Talking had to happen...
This got me thinking. How much do we really "live" inside the box? Do people really feel awkward about sitting with "other" people during a meal? I know I did. It almost felt like I was sitting there naked. How weird our minds work. How strange we are wired. Imagine doing this at other restaurants. Walking into Bravo, 91, Longhorn, and creating tables for however many people could be combined together...knowing them or not. Sure, sometimes you'd have a few hits and misses...but how much would this change us? Something as simple as breaking bread with a stranger.
I think I've heard about a person who would do something like that...
2 comments:
I loved randomly coming across this post - it's so true that something so simple as sitting with other people can be so difficult! I'm from England - culturally we NEVER talk to strangers but I promised myself I WOULD be the king of person who wold be the weirdo that chatted to the person I sat next to on the bus, and have too invited strangers to sit with me and my friends in a resturant if I've noticed they are eating alone. Uncomfortable as these moments might be it is SO liberating to do and such an opportunity , as a Christian too, to know that God might speak through them or you if you throw yourself into a random situation! I love the feeing of getting off a bus wing you've had a chat, uneasy as it might have been it was at least more interesting than looking out of the window for the whole journey!
Mandy,
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