Monday, March 27, 2006

My poor enchiladas

Tonight George and I dined in a new Mexican restaurant. We ate about half of what we ordered, and I planned to take the rest to work for lunch tomorrow. We gave it to the busboy and asked him if he'd wrap it up.

The busboy never brought our food back.

Finally, when the waitress came over, I told her the busboy took my enchiladas (about half of our dinner) and never came back with it. She said "oh, he's in training, he probably threw it out."

Oh. Well. That was about half of our dinner.

"Well, I'll go check for you."

She came back about 5 minutes later. "Sorry, he threw it out."

Ok.

Duh.

Do you think, like, maybe you could find some more enchiladas back there and, like, just put them in a box for me?

It's a Mexican restaurant. I don't think they were lacking in tortillas and cheese. You order enchiladas from a Mexican kitchen and they're usually on your table in about 5 minutes.

I don't blame the busboy for making a mistake. But now I blame the fucking waitress for not getting off her ASS to try to make amends.

I understand he threw out my enchiladas. I understand it was a mistake. I also understand he works for this restaurant. Last I heard, business establishments take responsibility for the employees' honest mistakes. Just bring me some enchiladas. In a box. I paid for them. This should not be difficult.

Ok, so you could care less that the busboy threw out my enchiladas? You could care less that I paid for this food and you just threw it out?

Damn mad. Mommie Dearest mad.

George is like "Tom, calm down, it's just some enchiladas. Who cares?"

I agree, it's just some enchiladas, but it wasn't my mistake! I paid for them! I don't have to have the exact same enchiladas he took back to the kitchen! It was a mistake! But I'm not the one running the business here! Why should I have to fork over another $12 to get the enchiladas? The kitchen can absorb this error. It will cost the kitchen maybe $1 to replace my enchiladas. No one seems to care. This annoys me.

So I approach the gentleman at the host stand. I tell him that the busboy accidentally threw out my enchiladas and that I'd like the waitress to get the kitchen to give me some to take home.

"Well, English isn't their first language, so you should try to remember that."

???

"Ok, I'll remember that, and I don't want the busboy to get in trouble. But I'd still like some enchiladas. I already paid for them. Is the kitchen out of tortillas and cheese? Can't they make me some more?"

"Ok, I'll see what I can do."

Meanwhile, George is chatting with the waitress now, saying "god, I wish he's just let it go already."

So I left, because a) my boyfriend could care less that the restaurant is screwing me out of my enchiladas, and b) the host, by this time, is surely digging something out of the garbage for me to take home.

I heard George say "hey, where are you going?"

To find someone who understands. It's the enchiladas. All I wanted was another plate of enchiladas.

I paid for them.

I liked them. I wanted them for lunch.

And now I'm sad.

I bet that if a busboy at Uniquely Yours Pastry accidentally threw away my petit four, Jennifer would give me another one. In fact, I bet that even if I dropped my petit four by accident, and it was all my fault, that she would still probably give me another one. That's why I will be a repeat customer.

5 comments:

jin said...

CP, if anyone here accidentally threw away your petit four, I'd give you 4 back in return!

Thanks for the link, I do appreciate it so very much.

It was also a good thing you eventually left without any more food (even though they should have done something for you!)...I worked in a kitchen...it's fine to complain, but if you do...don't, I mean don't take any more food from the kitchen. *Grimace* They do things to it. :-S

Coaster Punchman said...

Yay! Tom 2, George 0! (At least as far as blog comments go.) For the record, everyone else that I've shared this story with has agreed that if George thought I was creating an unnecessary scene, the appropriate action would have been to step outside and wait for me. (Believe me, we had that discussion the next morning!)

As for the non-English thing, it was basically irrelevant and a cheap shot by the host to make me feel like I was being culturally insensitive or something. I didn't take the bait. I wasn't mad at the busboy for misunderstanding me. I was mad at the waitress for not trying to rectify the error.

Anonymous said...

I can totally understand your boyfriend's embarassment. When people make an unnecessary scene in public, it is almost always unpleasant for the community at large and especially for the spouse who is being dragged into an uncomfortable situation. Wouldn't it be easier to not return to the restaurant ever again? True you can let the manager know you are unhappy about things, but do it in writing and CC: the owner, that way you might get the proper response from the establishment. When you lose your temper and start looking like Mommie Dearest, how could you NOT expect people around you to NOT cringe?!! George may have scored 0 and you scored 2, but 100% of these comments mention that you would not want the food they gave you following your tirade. Can you imagine what your face would be looking like while sitting on the can from food poisoning after eating bad enchiladas??!!

CPW 2 George 1

Concerned Citizen

Coaster Punchman said...

OH MY GOD! How much is that bastard George paying you to say these things?

CHRISTINNNNAAAAAA!!! WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE ME... THE ENCHILADAS..... THAT I ... AM... ENTITLED TO????? WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE ME ... THE ENCHILADAS YOU WOULD GIVE TO ANY STRANGER ON THE STREEEEEEETT?????

Katie Schwartz said...

I know this is an old post, but it's so funny! I so feel you. I HATE when that happens, and at the point you were at, it's all about the principal.