The lady there speaks with a heavy Chinese accent and always seems to have some parenting advice. A couple of years ago, she got after me for letting Joseph have long nails. As if I intended it! And she's always impressed with how many kids we have and that there are 3 of each. I wonder if she ever remembers that we've been in before?
This time, she said, "Good job, mom and dad." when she saw how well the kids were behaving. Maybe they were so quiet because they were sulking that they were in a Chinese restaurant. The darned place doesn't even have Mac and Cheese!
Then she noticed Joseph wasn't in love with his fried rice. She went to the candy machine and bought a handful of runts for him. She gave him one and put the rest in the middle of the table. She told him he had to eat his food to get the rest. She was trying to be helpful. What she really did was start a mini argument over who else was going to get that candy!
A little bit later, she brings out a plate of french fries for Joseph and puts it down in place of his plate of rice. She says, "I buy." He liked those better...after they cooled off. If I didn't know how Asian mothers could be, I might never go back to the restaurant. But she meant well and I could find a way to be grateful...if I tried.
Eventually, the fortune cookies came out. Everyone got some of the usual fortunes. Some were even more pathetic than tradition demanded. Then I opened mine:
I've always thought maybe I had a little too much of Eeyore syndrome...too pessimistic about things. But when your fortune cookie spits out this gem, it really does seem that a dark cloud must be hanging over your head!
She drives me NUTS too! I think she may have put that in your cookie! It sounds like her.
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