20
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Opinion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
      +
     
    
   
   
    
     
      16
      March
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kyte
      Spite
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      Lindsay
      Kyte
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Everyone
      has
      had
      a
      bad
     
     
      restaurant
      experience
      before.
     
     
      I’ve
      been
      forgotten
      about
      a
     
     
      few
      times,
      had
      pancakes
      come
     
     
      with
      the
      syrup
      already
      on
     
     
      them,
      and
      asked
      for
      chocolate
     
     
      milk
      and
      gotten
      regular
      milk
     
     
      with
      a
      film
      of
      Quik
      settled
      at
     
     
      the
      bottom
      of
      the
      glass.
      But
      I
     
     
      have
      never
      had
      such
      a
      succes-
     
     
      sion
      of
      bad
      experiences
      as
      I
      did
     
     
      upon
      visiting
      a
      local
      establish-
     
     
      ment
      a
      couple
      of
      weeks
      ago.
     
    

    
     
      After
      waiting
      about
     
     
      twenty
      minutes
      for
      a
      table
      (un-
     
     
      derstandable
      --
      they
      were
     
     
      busy),
      my
      friend
      and
      I
      finally
     
     
      got
      seated.
      Unfortunately,
      it
     
     
      was
      at
      a
      table
      in
      the
      middle
      of
     
     
      the
      restaurant,
      and
      practically
     
     
      on
      top
      of
      the
      people
      next
      to
      us.
     
     
      Now,
      I
      don’t
      know
      if
      every-
     
     
      one
      hates
      to
      sit
      in
      the
      middle
     
     
      of
      the
      restaurant
      like
      I
      do,
      but
     
     
      I
      always
      feel
      like
      it’s
      the
     
     
      “Lindsay
      Show”
      when
      it
      hap-
     
     
      pens,
      with
      yours
      truly
      as
      the
     
     
      main
      act
      (
      look,
      she’s
      dipping
     
     
      her
      sleeve
      in
      the
      ketchup!).
     
     
      The
      server
      didn’t
      mind
      us
     
     
      switching
      to
      a
      different
      loca-
     
     
      tion,
      although
      it
      was
      hard
      to
     
     
      get
      her
      attention
      to
      ask
      her,
      as
     
     
      she
      stood
      in
      front
      of
      our
      table,
     
     
      yet
      talked
      to
      our
      oh-so-close
     
     
      neighbours,
      who
      were
      off-duty
     
     
      employees.
     
    

    
     
      I
      think
      that
      my
      asking
     
     
      her
      if
      we
      could
      move
      was
      the
     
     
      last
      thought
      she
      ever
      had
      of
      us,
     
     
      though.
      Perhaps
      there
      was
      a
     
     
      mix-up,
      and
      she
      thought
      a
      new
     
     
      server
      would
      take
      care
      of
      us.
     
     
      But
      I
      actually
      think
      that
      she
     
     
      didn’t
      think,
      or
      else
      didn’t
     
     
      care.
      We
      waited
      for
      a
      long
     
     
      time,
      and
      then
      finally
      flagged
     
    
   
   
    
     
      down
      another
      server
      to
      help.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      us.
     
    

    
     
      Our
      order
      was
      deliv-
     
     
      ered
      by
      acompletely
      different
     
     
      person,
      who
      forgot
      the
      little
     
     
      things
      we
      asked
      for,
      like
      bar-
     
     
      becue
      sauce.
      But,
      servers
      are
     
     
      busy
      people,
      and
      a
      couple
      of
     
     
      mistakes
      are
      forgivable.
      Yet
     
     
      it
      really
      would
      have
      been
      nice
     
     
      to
      have
      had
      the
      mandatory
      fin-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ger
      bowl
      and
      extra
      napkins
     
     
      during
      the
      chicken
      wings,
      and
     
     
      not
      after,
      when
      someone
      fi-
     
     
      nally
      thought
      of
      us
      and
     
     
      brought
      it,
      much
      too
      late.
      |
     
     
      looked
      like
      the
      incredible
     
     
      Sauce
      monster
      by
      then,
      with
     
     
      my
      hair
      pasted
      to
      my
      face
      and
     
     
      the
      back
      of
      the
      seat,
      and
      un-
     
     
      able
      to
      move
      my
      fingers,
      as
     
     
      they
      were
      forever
      adhered
      to
     
     
      the
      sticky
      table
      top.
      Fortu-
     
     
      nately,
      my
      friend
      applied
      that
     
     
      little
      minuscule
      piece
      of
      lemon
     
     
      in
      the
      finger-bowl
      to
      them,
      and
     
     
      saved
      my
      life.
     
    

    
     
      I
      told
      one
      of
      our
      vari-
     
     
      ous
      servers
      that
      our
      original
     
     
      server
      had
      obviously
      forgotten
     
     
      us.
      The
      original
      promptly
     
     
      came
      over
      and
      said
      ina
      sickly-
     
     
      sweet
      voice
      (and
      I
      was
      already
     
     
      sticky
      enough,
      thank
      you)
     
     
      “Did
      you
      girls
      think
      I
      had
      for-
     
     
      gotten
      you?”
      Well,
      yes,
     
     
      honey
      sugar
      pie,
      unless
      you
     
     
      consider
      not
      approaching
      your
     
     
      customers
      for
      forty
      minutes
      at
     
     
      atime
      good
      service.
      I
      thought
     
     
      this,
      but
      did
      not
      say
      it.
      I
      was
     
     
      saving
      it
      for
      my
      column.
     
    

    
     
      She
      asked
      if
      we
      wanted
     
     
      desert.
      We
      thought
      that
      it
      was
     
     
      an
      excellent
      idea,
      and
      ordered
     
     
      the
      “moist
      and
      rich”
      chocolate
     
     
      cake
      to
      split.
      More
      like
      dried-
     
     
      out-sitting-around-all-day
      and
     
     
      crusty.
      As
      the
      server
      had
      some
     
     
      sucking
      up
      to
      do,
      she
      came
     
     
      back
      after
      a
      mere
      half-hour
      and
     
     
      asked
      if
      were
      finished
      this
     
     
      desert
      that
      had
      only
      one
      bite
     
     
      taken
      out
      of
      it.
      My
      friend
      po-
     
     
      litely
      told
      her
      that
      the
      cake
      was
     
     
      too
      dry
      to
      be
      edible,
      at
      which
     
     
      the
      server
      lifted
      it
      and
      rudely
     
     
      poked
      her
      finger
      in
      it.
      “It’s
     
     
      black
      forest
      cake,
      it’s
      sup-
     
     
      posed
      to
      be
      like
      that,”
      she
     
     
      stated.
      My
      friend
      sometimes
     
     
      says
      the
      things
      I
      only
      think
      and
     
     
      write
      about,
      stewing
      in
      my
     
     
      vengeful
      fantasies,
      and
      told
     
     
      Ms.
      Employee
      of
      theYear
      that
     
     
      no,
      it
      was
      not,
      and
      if
      so,
      the
     
     
      menu
      was
      subject
      to
      false
      ad-
     
     
      vertising.
      She
      offered
      us
     
     
      something
      else
      (but
      not
      com-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      plimentary
      to
      make
      up
      for
      our
     
     
      dissatisfaction,
      |
      might
      add),
     
     
      and
      as
      we
      had
      already
      commit-
     
     
      ted
      about
      two
      and
      a
      half
      hours
     
     
      to
      this
      fabulous
      dining
      experi-
     
     
      ence,
      we
      declined.
     
    

    
     
      But
      as
      we
      sat
      there
      dur-
     
     
      ing
      one
      of
      our
      many
      waiting
     
     
      periods,
      we
      noticed
      what
      was
     
     
      happening
      around
      us.
      The
     
     
      man
      behind
      us
      had
      also
      been
     
     
      waiting
      for
      a
      long
      time,
      and
     
     
      politely
      asked
      a
      server
      who
     
     
      was
      wiping
      a
      table
      where
      his
     
     
      may
      have
      gone.
      She
      shrugged
     
     
      her
      shoulders,
      and
      said,
      “I
     
     
      dunno.
      I
      think
      she’s
      gone
      on
     
     
      her
      smoke
      break,”
      and
      then
     
     
      went
      on
      wiping
      the
      table,
      with-
     
     
      out
      offering
      him
      help
      or
      going
     
     
      to
      find
      the
      other
      employee.
     
     
      We
      were
      absolutely
      as-
     
     
      tounded,
      and
      thought
      nothing
     
     
      could
      top
      her
      shocking
      con-
     
     
      duct.
     
    

    
     
      We
      were
      soon
      proven
     
     
      wrong.
      We
      looked
      to
      our
      left,
     
     
      and
      saw
      the
      asked-about
     
     
      server,
      carrying
      a
      plate
      of
      food,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      sitting
      down
      toeatitinthe
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      middle
      of
      the
      restaurant!
      Uh,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      did
      you
      ever
      hear
      of
      a
      “staff
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      room?”
      And
      then,
      she
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      joined
      by
      her
      good
      friend,
      the
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chef,
      who
      also
      sat
      down
      in
      the
     
     
      dining
      room
      to
      appreciate
      his
     
    
   
   
    
     
      own
      culinary
      delights.
      I
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      thought
      my
      friend
      was
      going
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      have
      a
      breakdown,
      so!
      ,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      quickly
      took
      her
      out
      of
      there.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      reason
      I
      can
      com-
      .
     
     
      ment
      confidently
      on
      such
      hap-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      penings
      is
      that
      I
      work
      part-time
     
     
      at
      a
      very
      good
      restaurant,
      and
     
     
      my
      friend
      is
      the
      hostess.
      We
     
     
      know
      that
      good
      service
      is
      pos-
     
     
      sible
      as
      we
      strive
      to
      give
      it
     
     
      every
      weekend
      when
      we
     
     
      work.
      We
      told
      out
      maitre-d’
     
     
      about
      our
      experience,
      and
      he
     
     
      laughed
      at
      its
      absolute
      absurd-
     
     
      ity.
      I’m
      not
      sure
      if
      that
      par-
     
     
      ticular
      restaurant
      has
      any
      idea
     
     
      of
      minimum
      service
      standards,
     
     
      or
      of
      proper
      server
      decorum,
     
     
      but
      I
      am
      darn
      sure
      that
      they
     
     
      have
      no
      idea
      what
      black
      for-
     
     
      est
      cake
      actually
      is.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Diyye
     
    
   
   
    
     
      892-1913
     
     
      Charlottetown
     
    
   
   
    
     
      17”
      PIZZA
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (3
      Toppings)
      $10.99
      +
      plus
      tax
     
    
   
   
    
     
      17”
      PIZZA
      &
      12”
      GARLIC
      FINGERS
     
     
      (3
      Toppings)
      (2
      Donair
      Sauce)
     
     
      $13.99
      +
      plus
      tax
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “THE
      PIZZA
      FEAST”
     
     
      2
      17
      PIZZA
      &
      MED
      GARLIC
      FINGERS
     
     
      (3
      Toppings)
      $22.99
      +
      plus
      tax