Areas of Expertise
(Order Up)
Let's say you're in a restaurant and you're watching the
waiter take another patron's order. This other patron says:
"Sandwich, please."
So the waiter smiles and nods and heads off to the
kitchen and soon he comes back and hands this patron a
plate. (Maybe you're craning your neck, politely of course,
and wondering, "What came back? Is that a sandwich?
What type of sandwich is it?")
Well, it is a sandwich, but the patron is not satisfied.
The patron says: "I would like a hummus sandwich, not
this."
Again the waiter smiles and nods and heads off to the
kitchen, previous order in hand, and shortly comes back with
another sandwich -- a hummus sandwich by the looks of it. He
says to the patron, "I do hope you enjoy this. Our chef
has prepared for you the special hummus sandwich made in his
home country. He grew up eating sandwiches like this made by
his dear mother and they bring him fond memories of what it
was like to be at ease in life."
Now the patron looks at it and goes, "What? I wanted
whole wheat pita bread with this. Take this back."
Maybe not smiling, the waiter picks up the sandwich and
heads back to the kitchen. Soon he arrives with a whole
wheat pita bread & hummus sandwich and hands it to the
patron.
The patron bites into the sandwich and quickly flags down
the waiter: "Waiter, what kind of sandwich is this?
Hummus is made with split peas, not whatever this is. And it
should have chopped up celery in it. Also, I don't recognize
these spices. Why is there no mint? And is it sour cream or
cream cheese, one of those should be in there."
Quizzically the waiter looks at the patron and asks,
"Is there anything else about this sandwich which you
would like to have different?" And the patron then
explains, a little at length, what should be in a hummus
sandwich.
Yet again the waiter heads to the kitchen. ("Are
those loud exclamations coming from the kitchen?" you
wonder.) When the waiter comes back he explains, "The
chef has done his best to prepare the sandwich you
requested. He's not familiar with that particular type of
sandwich, though, so this is all that could be done. "
And he plunks a plate down in front of the customer. From
where you sit, you can see wheat pita, some lettuce, tomato,
something greenish-white with flecks of dark green in it.
And surprisingly, the patron looks somewhat satisfied.
Meanwhile, you've placed your order ("The hummus
sandwich, with wheat pita not white, and all the
trimmings") and have found it quite enjoyable.
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