"To Go"

He told me, "Enjoy your dinner."
I thanked him and walked out the door.
***

It was almost 8:30pm. It was getting late and I still had plenty of homework to truck through. But, worst of all, I was uninspired. I opened the cabinets in our kitchen—I have two for myself—and couldn't think up a mealish experience. Yes, I opened a can of beans, but since the big frying pan was soaking with water and egg particles, I would have to use the microwave for my quesadilla. No good. Just as I finished opening the can of refried beans, I realized. It was going to be a Maple Garden night.

So I called them up—their number is now saved on my phone—and ordered the usual. After a surly twenty minutes of translating Mandarin into English I hopped on my bike and pedaled down to the nearby Chinese dive.

The workers behind the register knew I my business as soon as I walked in. Maybe it was my posture, or frantic eyes, looking for the meal that I couldn't conjure on my own. The shift manager was a petite Chinese man, with a short white paper hat. We performed the exchange: Goods for money. And then he told me, "Enjoy your dinner." Enjoy your dinner, I thought. Something about it struck me. Enjoy your dinner. I visualized the word "Enjoy" printed in Shanghi red letters on the take-out box. I thought of the phrase, "Enjoy your meal." But somehow, this was different. It felt, personal.

I love the Chicken Curry dish. But,you know, this stuff is probably packed with MSG. It gets gummy and gelatinous after refrigeration. I don't know if they use real curry, or even real chicken. It's definitely not the best for my health, but that didn't matter. Enjoy your dinner. This man had worked on, created, something that would sustain me. He put his energy into what would give me energy. I am eating his energy.I relied on him, because I didn't have the motivation or inspiration to rely on myself. This meal is keeping me alive. I wasn't "inspired" to keep myself alive?

Every day, multiple times a day, we rely on other people to keep OUR lives functioning. In lieu of this fact, many respect "The Golden Rule". ("Treat others how you would like to be treated", for you miscreants out there.)I've done this my whole life because I know it is right, but not because I could quantify why. Tonight I was able to attach a face, a demeanor to the Golden Rule.

So while I shovel down mushrooms, peppers, onions, rice, and "chicken" mixed with an oozy, yellow, salty sauce, I think about that cook who made my food. "Enjoy your dinner." Enjoy your dinner. Poignant.