Over the weekend, my partner Mike and I were enjoying one of our favourite walks around Ramsgate - the coastal walk between Dumpton Gap and Luisa Bay - gorgeous sandy beach, kids, families and dogs frolicking in the sea and building sand castles.
Could anything be more delightful?
As is our usual wont, we stopped to have lunch at one of the cafes along the beach. We are serious regulars, all year-round.
As we both try to control the quantities of what we eat, and I have lost about 50 lbs (3.5 stone) in weight over the past 2 years, we tend to share a sandwich - chicken tikka or prawn Marie rose with side salad, and a hot drink, served on 2 plates.
Well, this past weekend, we ordered our meal and drinks and paid for it; however when we asked the person who took the order to serve it on 2 plates, the owner of the café intervened stormily, insisting that there was “no time to divide the sandwich and salad onto 2 plates”.
When I politely asked if we could have a second plate, the serving person said we probably could have a second plate.
We waited for the food to arrive. The serving person came along with a second, PLASTIC plate; we had to ask for another set of cutlery as only 1 knife and fork was supplied. When I requested serviettes, and when they were brought to us, the serving person asked “Will there be anything else, now?” As though it was a cardinal sin to simply ask for a knife and fork and a napkin. When was that a capital offence? The sandwich and salad were delicious.
However I felt as though I had been personally insulted and probably won’t be frequenting that café any time soon.
Should I forgive the owner for being stressed?
If the next time we pass by and he were to apologize, I would reconsider. It may seem pathetic that such a trivial interaction would interfere with my enjoyment of such a gorgeous part of the world; however I don’t expect to be abused by a café owners that we frequent and where we spend our money and leisure time.
