pho with space on the side
i tried a new vietnamese restaurant recently. it was really crowded, which is always a good sign. i ordered the nightly special as more and more people poured in the door. since i was dining alone and there were three unused chairs at my table, the waitress asked me if i would move to join two other diners. "sure, if it's ok with them," i said.
i found myself sharing a table with two college students, two well-traveled young women who had interesting stories to share. the thing was it became evident to me that they just wanted to talk to each other. this was fine, but brought up an interesting social dynamic. not wanting to err on either side of rudeness (not talking too much or ignoring them) i found myself just listening in without being invited to be part of the conversation.
i was comfortable enough while wondering if they were...except that i didn't know where to look. usually the single dining cell phone whip-out suffices, except that i didn't want to drop it in my soup. so i found myself studying the back of the hoison sauce bottle. for a very long time.
it was interesting to me to listen in on not only their conversation but the adjoining tables' as well (a big group from australia). it was like being at an international market.
is it just american of us to want a space bubble or intrinsically human? what makes for the most ideal social dynamics? i wonder about these questions, but there's no doubt in my mind that it was some of the best pho i've ever had.
i found myself sharing a table with two college students, two well-traveled young women who had interesting stories to share. the thing was it became evident to me that they just wanted to talk to each other. this was fine, but brought up an interesting social dynamic. not wanting to err on either side of rudeness (not talking too much or ignoring them) i found myself just listening in without being invited to be part of the conversation.
i was comfortable enough while wondering if they were...except that i didn't know where to look. usually the single dining cell phone whip-out suffices, except that i didn't want to drop it in my soup. so i found myself studying the back of the hoison sauce bottle. for a very long time.
it was interesting to me to listen in on not only their conversation but the adjoining tables' as well (a big group from australia). it was like being at an international market.
is it just american of us to want a space bubble or intrinsically human? what makes for the most ideal social dynamics? i wonder about these questions, but there's no doubt in my mind that it was some of the best pho i've ever had.
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