Yoda in London

I really appreciate clever advertising.  I saw this advert in Holborn Station and it made me start giggling on the platform.  Considering that I was alone, it probably looked a little odd.  

I made plans to meet up with three very good friends for dinner.  Somehow, the four of us have fallen into the habit of meeting up for a dinner together every two or three months.  We planned to go to Dim T, a really nice Asian fusion restaurant with a fantastic view of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.  When I called to book, they told me they were completely booked.  

Plan B became to meet up at the Spur, a South African chain of restaurants with a rather Native American theme!  Keith and I were both early and ended up chatting at Starbucks before our reservation.  Once we relocated to the restaurant, Val joined us and then Emmanuel.  Val had questioned my choice of restaurant when she read that they specialize in ribs, steaks, and burgers.  An odd choice for a vegetarian, I'll admit.  In the end, I ordered a Hawaiian veggie burger while my friends each ordered a full rack of ribs.  As I ordered, Val asked the waiter if I could have it with bacon on top!  He looked at me with a little bit of confusion.  

"No," I said.  

"Are you a new vegetarian?" 

"Nope, I've been a vegetarian for six years now."  Val proceeded to explain to Vikas, our waiter, that bacon is a "gateway meat" for many vegetarians.  

Vikas shook his head.  "I've been a vegetarian for eight years now and I'm not tempted by bacon."

"But did you like it before?"

"No, I only had it once before and didn't like it."  

"Hmm...that must be why."

We entertained poor Vikas for the rest of the night with our conversations.  We are very good customers, not demanding and very interactive.  When he brought Emmanuel the wrong soda, he gave me the Pepsi and then got a Fanta for Emmanuel.  When he brought me onion rings rather than chips, he left the onion rings with us and then brought another plate of chips.  

Our dinner lasted until the restaurant closed at 11 and it was a late night getting home, but oh the laughs.  These three are friends that I met at the beginning of my three years in London.  It was such a special night.  Emmanuel is probably leaving the UK soon, and I leave on Tuesday, so it was a farewell for more than just myself.  Who knows when the four of us will meet again.