One Thing I Wish I Hadn't Seen A Server Do

First, let me say that I'm a regular reader of Diary of The Food Whore. Her accounts of bizarre things that customers do at her restaurant and on her catering gigs are a scream. But, it's not as funny being on the other side of the table, as it were.

Yesterday, John and I attended my cousin Aaron's bar mitzvah in Westchester County, New York. The ceremony was very, very long, but the kid did very well, especially considering that he'd just begun his preparations only 8 months prior to the ceremony. Pretty impressive indeed.

After the ceremony, we drove about 20 minutes north to a very fancy resort with a hotel, golf course and banquet facilities. The reception was pretty high end, with tasty, expensive food; rented Segways to try (more on those below); caricature artists; great music via a dj; and more.

Here's where it gets a big scary. Well, for John and me, at any rate. Between dinner courses, our server came around to give us more rolls from a large basket draped over his arm. At first we didn't think anything of it until, across the table from us, the server picked up my brother's uneaten roll with his tongs and placed it into the same basket.

John and I both gasped. I'd already received my new roll, but had not eaten it. Moreover, I began to panic that my first roll had been someone else's not-eaten first roll! What if he'd done that at all the tables??

Now, if you're still saying to yourself, "What's the big deal? The roll would go to waste?" Well, the big deal is that it's not sanitary. How many times have you been in a restroom where someone who just finished didn't wash their hands before exiting? Or, more common, do you cover your mouth when you cough? I do. Do you wash your hands after ever time? I can't honestly say that I do.

While my brother, or anyone else for that matter, may not have done much with the roll, he might have picked it up. With possibly unclean hands. OK. I'm just pushing it this far because I'm also aware of each knob I turn when I open a door, or each time I push a door open (whether it's from a restroom or otherwise).

Regardless, I just don't want to be eating someone's recycled roll!

On to the Segways. One of the most touted advantages of a Segway is that it's supposed to be tough to knock off balance. It's also supposed to be easy to maneuver. At this same bar mitzvah reception, the mother of the celebrant and the celebrant both were riding Segways around the dance floor. They collided, and down she went, with the Segway on top of her.

It was almost in slow motion. He approached from the left, she from the right. He caught her left wheel with his right, her body swerved and the Segway didn't. Luckily, no one was hurt, and she got right back up on the Segway, speeding away.

Have you ever tried a Segway? I was wearing a long flowing dress and didn't want to chance it.

As I said in my other blog, I'm battling a cold, so when I'm feeling better, I'll have more cooking photos/movies/recipes to share. For now, more herbal tea, raw garlic, and rest.