Restaurant patron: "Hey, what's that?"

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I was at Tony Roma’s last night. Tony Roma’s is, as far as I know, an internationally well known chain of rib joints. I was sitting with five other people, and digging into a tasty plate of Tony Roma’s Original™ baby back ribs.

Suddenly I heard a man say loudly “Oh, wow! What is that? That looks really good!”

I looked up, rib in hand, and a man about my age was looking at me, saying, “Yeah, that. What you’re holding. What is that? I want to get it.”

I was totally flummoxed. No one has ever accosted me in the middle of a meal before. Thoughts flew through my mind. Is he drunk? He doesn’t look drunk. Is he putting me on? He appears to be completely earnest. How weird is it that the food item he’s aggressively asking me about is the very item that made this restaurant famous and an international success?

“Ribs,” was all my thunderstruck brain could persuade my mouth to say.

“Yeah, but what kind?” He prodded, and it was almost like there was a TV camera, and he was trying to get me to say the word of the day.

“Original,” I managed, still stuck in neutral and unable to switch to conversation mode.

“Baby backs?”

“Yeah,” I answer, and he walks away, with a little girl of about 3 or 4 holding his hand.

He couldn’t tell if they were baby backs? Had this guy ever seen ribs before? The ribs I was eating were four or five inches long. What else could they be? A beef rib is more than double that size.

This morning I realized who he reminded me of: the John Lithgow character from the sitcom Third Rock From the Sun. He had that kind of new-to-Earth-and-really-excited-about-all-the-great-things-here-but-trying-to-look-inconspicuous look to him.

So, I’ve decided I had my first alien encounter.

2

Maybe he had just had a lobotomy…

3

Yep, I’ve had something similar. I was eating breakfast at a local cafe once, a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Mmmmmm-mmmmmm! Then this middle aged lady with a screechy voice came up, pointed her extralong fingernail at my food (and nearly put it in my cream cheese) and wanted to know what I was eating.

Geeze Lou-eeze, lady! The counter is five feet away. The menu has maybe eight items on it for breakfast. Believe me, they can figure out what it is you want and tell you all about what I’m eating. You don’t have to poke a hole in my breakfast to get an answer!

4

You know what’s fun? Going to public places and playing Spot The Alien.

Spot The Spy is also fun.

5

I do this sometimes, but my tactic involves motioning to the waiter and at least making an attempt at being subtle while pointing out the dish I want to know about.

6

Spot the mannequin?

7

You know, I’m not conversant in the many many details of ribs, because I don’t eat or make ribs all the time. (I don’t particularly like them, but that’s neither here or there.)

Moreover, often we go into a restaurant in order to sample dishes that we don’t know all that well. That being the case, it’s perfectly reasonable he might not have known the arcane differences between types of ribs. (I didn’t even know there were different types of ribs, aside from say cow vs. pig, let alone how to distinguish them visually.)

Nor is it at all unusual to be interested in what another diner is having in a restaurant, though admittedly the question is more usually posed to a waiter (“What’s that gentleman having?”)

Unless it was a question of his manner or tone of voice, I don’t see why this is an unusual question or why it put you off so much.

8

psst Matt Baby backs are smaller (shorter)

9

Probably my confusion was turning to resentment at the intrusion, and I made more of a big deal about this point than was warranted.

10

Than what? Not eating ribs very often, I have no frame of reference.

11

Than Toddler Backs, obviously.

I have no idea, either

12

Of course, Tony Roma’s has several types of ribs on the menu. Since he asked “Original?” I would assume that he had eaten there before, perhaps having the St. Louis Style, and was wondering which of the selections you were chomping on.

13

Yeah, I’m also not a big rib fan, so I wouldn’t know what I’m seeing and have to ask. I’d likely ask the waiter, though, not just to not intrude but because I’m shy.

14

I am from so exotic an international locale as Ontario, and have never heard of Tony or his restaurants.

15

Well, he WAS eating at Tony Roma’s!
ZZZZZIIIING!!!
I actually like Tony Roma’s, but why should I let that get in the way of an insult?

16

I’d have handled it like you did, RUfus. Answer his couple of reasonable questions, keep my guard up, and keep an eye on him until you/he leaves.

I’d have been more worried he might take your ‘friendliness’ as permission to pull up a chair and “talk term life insurance”.

17

You know what’s more fun? Going to public places and playing Be the Alien. He may have been messing with you.

18

haha

In Vegas, we play Spot The Hooker! We would also play Spot The Unsuspecting John, but that game is too easy. :stuck_out_tongue:

19

I don’t mind a stranger in a restaurant asking “what kind of food is that?”, but twice I have had the bizarre experience of having people come over, look at my plate, and ask “can I have a taste of that?” Although I am a fairly friendly and generous person, it unnerves me for a total stranger to expect me to share my food with him or her.

20

Jesus!