golden corral, or, resignation

Music: Joni Mitchell: Shine (2007)

“Hey pop, do you want to get some lunch?”

“Sure! Let’s go. What do you want?”

“Well, if I’m going to be bad on Christmas day I should stick to my diet. Somewhere I can get a salad.”

“The Golden Corral has salads, the best salad bar around.”

[Must move to identity or this will get confusing]

JJ: “[hates Golden Corral for its deep-fried cuisine and Disney World tourist-sized clientele, replete with carts that go whirrrrrrrrrr down the extra-wide aisles, that buffet style paean to grease and overcooked everything in large quantities that sit sit sit and then gets hard and slimy while kids everywhere run into you with little bowels of cobbler topped with liquidy soft-serve ice cream] Ok, sure.”

[Later]

CHP: “[cheerful hostess person] Welcome to Golden Corral!”

P: “We’ll only need one tray, son. [Looks up to soft drink filling station, man of dark complexion smiles ready to fill]. Wankayakka Yakka por favor.”

MoDC: “I’m sorry [young man is perplexed].”

P: “[laughter, looking to me for approval] Ah, ‘I’m white,’ he says [laughter].”

JJ: “[ignoring racial joke] I’ll have a caffeine free diet Pepsi, thanks.”

[Later, at table]

P: “We’re getting taken over by minorities. We’re getting overrun by Koreans and Hispanics. What’s the minority problem in Austin?”

JJ: “We don’t have a problem. Austin’s largest minority population is Hispanic, if that’s what you mean.”

P: “The crime here is getting out of control . . . . “

[You can write the rest.]