Sunday, May 3, 2009

Quick! Define Beet!

They read the sign and followed instructions. They took menus from the pile and slid into the booth near the door. I walked by with an armload of dirty plates and told them that I would be right with them. Full hands in, full hands out. I dropped off the dirty plates in the kitchen, picked up some appetizers for a table outside and did a lap around the restaurant, delivering food and asking about refills.

Then I swing by the new arrivals in the booth. They point at the menu and ask me with a foreign accent (maybe German? Dutch? Something like that anyway...) What is this? Baby Beet Salad.
Me: Well, it's a salad with beets.
Them: What are....beets?
Me: A root vegetable. (They giggle.) Like a turnip? (Confusion all around.) Hmm... like in Borscht? You know, what Russians eat?

Ah! One guy gets it! He says something I don't understand, and they all nod, knowingly.

Them: It's like cabbage!
Me: Sigh. No... Hmm... Radish? (Blank stares) Okay, Carrot?
Them: Ah! Yes! Bugs Bunny!
Me: Yeah! So a beet is like a short, fat carrot. It's red. Kinda sweet.

They didn't order the beet salad.

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