Regular Food

Recently, my grandson, Micah, was playing with some toys that looked like sea creatures. My wife, Rhonda, pointed out a lobster and explained to him that I like to eat this type of food from time to time. Later, he showed his mother a stingray and told her “Pa likes to eat this. Not me, I like to eat regular food.”

It’s true, I do like to eat seafood, I just don’t get it often enough in restaurants. I remember the choices people had for dining out while I was a kid in Belle Plaine. There were cafés, bars that served hamburgers and pizzas, and a few of the gas stations that had restaurants where teenagers could harass the waitresses. For fine dining you had to drive into “the cities” (Shakopee and beyond) or to The Holiday House in St. Peter. In forty years much has changed, but people are still looking for that unique, entertaining dining experience.

Tim, a friend of mine who survived the trip from childhood to adulthood, was in town from California last week with his cousin, Paul. They found some time in their busy schedule to drive to my office to have lunch with me. Other than some crackers, peanut butter and applesauce, I didn’t have much to offer them so we decided to go out.

Going out to eat requires some forethought in what you or your dining partner(s) are hungry for. There is American-style food found in diners, cafes, and hamburger joints, and there are restaurants serving ethnic fare (Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Irish, etc.), and fancy places where white tablecloths report any ill-mannered eating. As it was a nice day, we decided to walk instead of drive; however, that decision limited our choices.

I determined that Turtle’s was our best choice, as it was clearly within walking distance, offered a full menu of food and beverage choices, sported several televisions for our viewing pleasure and played good old rock and roll to aid digestion.

Tim and Paul ordered the walleye sandwich, while I requested half of a chef salad (I was not told who got the other half – maybe it was the chef). As I ate my leafy greens, I envied my friends on the other side of the table eating their fish sandwiches. I left Turtles craving seafood and that night I went to a sushi restaurant with my son, Nathan.

I had never eaten sushi before, whereas Nathan was practically an expert, with three or four visits under his belt. An all-you-can-eat menu offered tempura, sashimi and sushi (all unknown to me). Nowhere on the menu did I find hamburger and fries or any fraction of a chef salad. There were, however, scallops and scallions, crab and clam, tilapia and tuna, urchin and eel.

I ate most of what was put in front of me as there was a charge added onto your bill if you left too much of your food uneaten. I suppose it gave one pause to reflect before ordering more and more food.  Nathan and I were mindful of what we ordered, as we didn’t want to stuff raw fish into our pockets to avoid being penalized. Still, if you eat enough small portions of small fish served on small plates you can feel like a stuffed toad.

Towards the end of the meal when I couldn’t eat another bite, I started to push my food around on the plate. I was no longer eating my seafood; I was, like Micah, playing with it instead.