I order what I want and I want what I order
When I order a hamburger at a restaurant, I usually get what I
want: meat, buns and condiments. I ask for fries, I get fries.
Simple.
But something happens when I place my beverage order.
I order what I want and I want what I order
When I order a hamburger at a restaurant, I usually get what I want: meat, buns and condiments. I ask for fries, I get fries. Simple.
But something happens when I place my beverage order.
“What can I get you to drink?” the waitress asks.
“A Coke, please,” I reply.
“Is Pepsi OK?” she retorts.
I used to say, “sure,” even though it wasn’t what I really wanted. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve taken the approach that if I wanted to drink Pepsi, I’d order a Pepsi. So when I’m asked if Pepsi is a suitable alternative, I speak the truth.
“No,” I say, catching her off guard – though not meaning to be rude. I do say it with a smile because you never want to anger someone who is handling your food or drinks. “I’ll just have an iced tea, please.”
I’m guessing many people say OK to Pepsi when there’s no Coke or yes to Coke when there’s no Pepsi. Not this guy.
If I order iced tea, the waiter or waitress doesn’t ask if I’d prefer lemonade. If I ask for an orange juice they don’t come back with “How about apple juice?” So if I order a Coke, that means I want a Coke.
My dad, knowing that there’s apparently such competition between the soft drink conglomerates that few restaurants would dare serve Coke and Pepsi or Sprite and 7-Up, has changed his ordering practices in recent years.
Anticipating the impending choice he’ll be given, he now orders in multiples when he’s asked what he wants to drink.
“Coke/Pepsi…” he’ll say. Or “Sprite/Sierra Mist/7-Up…”
That way, he leaves the choice up to the wait-person. I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually orders “dark cola” or “clear soda.”
At some of my family’s regular haunts in Hollister, the waitresses have begun pretty much telling us what drinks we’re going to order, because we’re so predictable.
“Iced tea, iced tea, hot tea, root beer,” the waitress at AJ Sushi says, saving us the trouble of speaking as she greets the family. We simply nod in agreement and the process moves along quickly.
At Orient Express in San Juan Bautista, it’s the same thing, though I throw a wrench in the works sometimes and order a Coke instead of iced tea. They never offer me Pepsi, which I appreciate. If I order Coke and they don’t have it, they tell me they don’t have it. The choice of a replacement beverage is up to me, as it should be.
At Progresso’s, where they serve Coke and not Pepsi, I get what I order because there is no alternative.
I appreciate all hard-working waiters and waitresses who do offer me alternatives and I’m not blaming them for offering Pepsi when I want a Coke, as it means they are just doing their job.
I just hope they don’t get offended when I say no to those alternatives. Coke and Pepsi are both dark colas, but they don’t taste the same. Just like I don’t like any food that “tastes like chicken” when it isn’t chicken, I prefer the sharpness of Coke over the sweetness of Pepsi.
The waitress is being sweet when she offers me Pepsi and I guess I’m being sharp when I stick to my guns with Coke. I just like what I like.
Want more Breen Damage during the week? Check out Adam’s blog at http://thebreenblog.blogspot.com. Adam teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School and is a reporter for The Pinnacle. He is former editor of The Free Lance.
