Substitution, please!
Ever try to order soup on a plate instead of a bowl? Onion bracelets instead of rings? Cows eggs instead of chicken eggs? In this world of prepackaged or preplanned meals, it seems that even the most insignificant request for some kind of substitution can throw a waiter or waitress into a tailspin.
Yesterday my mom and I had breakfast at Zellers (yes, I, too, was skeptical - very “uncool” and all that, but the Zellers diner was cheaper than those hip breakfast joints like Perkins and Denny’s. Unlike at Perkins, the eggs didn’t taste like space turkey with cranberry garlic sauce.) The server was a very nice lady with a French accent. My only beef was that things became incredibly complicated when we ordered the All Day Breakfast without the meat. I was so bold as to ask if we could have a pancake instead of the bacon and sausages…”Do you still want everything that comes with the breakfast? Do you still want the eggs? Do you still want hashbrowns? Toast?” “Yes…” we replied. “Well then, I’ll have to charge you extra for the toast.” “Whaaat?” Since when does a measly instant pancake cost more than some unfortunate pig’s sacrified loins? Why charge more for toast, when it was already included in the original breakfast? Aaaah…
I’m normally not one to kick up a fuss, but I just don’t understand some things in this world. If people can order a low-fat, no-foam, decaff, non-sweet Caramel Cappucino with two java jackets and three napkins, is one humble pancake too much to ask for?
Sigh. That’s my petty rant for the day.
Posted on December 29, 2001 07:38 AM