Farewell dinner in Mansfield

I have never been so appalled, yes I am prone to taking a writer's license and stretching the truth for humorous effect, but truly I have never been so appalled. I remember being the only white person in a Nigerian restaurant, the way the patrons all stared and whispered, I thought then I knew what it was to be a minority, but to truly be a minority is to be ignored by one your own demographic as they focus on the person they perceive deserving of more respect.

May I take a moment to remind you the year is 2008, Gloria Stienham is in her dotage, resting on her laurels, Debroah Tannen has moved on to other sociological battlefields assuming this one conquered. However, at dinner tonight in the very nicest Mansfield establishment we ordered a bottle of wine. The waitress had no idea when asked to recommend, the manager had a bit of insight making excuses about a new wine list (8 types of Robert Mondovi...draw your own conclusions) 1/2 priced bottle night , we decided to go with his recommendation , the Arnold Palmer, no not lemonade and iced tea, he makes wine now or at least he lends his name. The waitress came back 10 mins later (the wine must have been in the sub-sub-sub basement) with a plastic corkscrew. She battled with the bottle, no time for the wine to breathe, no eye contact, no explanation, she poured a taste for the solitary male at the table. We had all been discussing the wine list with the manager, but if we thought we were getting a taste we were sorely mistaken. I sat patiently looking in her direction waiting to be acknowledged with my taste. Her gaze never left his face and so he caved and sipped. As soon as his Adams apple bobbed in a swallow she was pouring glasses all around. Ignoring the tastes buds of her gender soundly profoundly shut down. Chivalrously timid the male attempted to direct her to the female expert but the wine had already splashed, she was off and running no care for our response.

It wasn't bad in fact pretty good so Arnold knows how to pick 'um. The manager afraid I assume our palates would not agree and we would send the bottle back, has not been near the table...smart man! Can he sense my wrath???