November 8, 2016

simplifying the menu

The island restaurant has lured vacationers for decades
with its vivid kitsch, a culture clash of Hollywood royalty
and Christmas. As we wait for our table, I glance at the menu
displayed, Bible-like, under the awning. The descriptions of each dish
reflect this deliberate confusion, drawing the eye away from
the price, diminished to a thin font at the bottom. But when the plates arrive,
the contents are unmasked for what they are - meat, potatoes, vegetables
roughly chopped and sauteed over a brief flame with a toss of olive oil. We bend
our forks to their task, and I don't think I'm wrong when I say the pomp and theater
leave us hungrier than we came, though when the waitress returns, no one wants dessert.