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The Drink That Almost Wasn't

I had a friend from New York who was in town, so we got the gang together to hang out. Given that she was flying out on Monday, we let her pick what kind of food she wanted. And apparently, it's hard to get good Mexican food in NYC (I've heard the same about Chinese food; from my experience, it's true).

Anyhow, we decided to go to Underdog, because it was convenient & a different friend swore by their tacos. We were actually a little worried that it might be packed, because the place was a sports bar and there were a couple of football games on that day. Luckily, we didn't get there until the games were over, so we didn't have to deal with humongous crowds.

When I sat down, the waitress asked me if I wanted something to drink. Seeing as how we were in a sports bar, I figured I'd get a beer:

Me: "Sure, can I have a Sierra Nevada?"
Waitress: "Hm, we're out"
Me: "Hm, how about a Newcastle?"
Waitress: "Sorry, we don't have any of that, either. It's been a busy day."
Me: "That's all right, I know how that goes. What do you have?"
Waitress: "On tap, we have Guiness, Stella Artois, Newcastle, wait no Newcastle. So, Guiness, Stella, Dos Equis Pale, Dos Equis Amber, IPA, ..."
Me: "The Dos Equis Amber sounds good. Can I have one of those?"
Waitress: "Wait, no, we're out of that, too"
Me: *chuckles* "Heh, okay, what would you recommend then?"
Waitress: "Um, there's a Boone Amber Ale that's pretty good, it's got a hop-y flavor."
Me: "Any chance I can get one of those?"
Waitress: "Yup, coming right up"

I'm not necessarily faulting the waitress for this exchange - like she said, it was a busy day. If they're out, they're out. But man, was that the most difficult beverage to order. I almost felt like I was one of those guys demanding just the right blend of coffee, with just the right amount of milk/cream/sugar, served at an exact temperature (those guys are jerks).

Luckily for me, I'm never picky about my food or drink. My mom is responsible for that - every single time my siblings or I would ask what a dish at the dinner table was, we'd be told, "come y calla." Literally translated (from Spanish), that means "eat & shut up." And God help any of us if we refused to eat.

So, if you're looking for a moral to the story, I say lay down the law with your kids about clearing their plates. It'll make their lives easier, promise.
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