Friday, August 29, 2008

Mr. Blue Lagoon waiter, I sincerely apologize


Another beautiful photograph by NAH. Morning on Kaanapali Beach.
Maui became even more interesting, allergically speaking, the night we went to the Blue Lagoon. Not the movie, mind you, but a restaurant in Lahaina on the main street. It looked inviting, had a decent menu, and was relatively uncrowded, which was a rarity. We sat ourselves near one of the koi ponds (They're everywhere in HI, and these aren't small koi. They look like they could eat you if you fell in!), and read over the menus.
A college-aged kid came over to take our orders. I started. I showed him my med-alert bracelet and said "I'm very interested in having a piece of fish, but I'm showing you this because I need you to understand that when I ask for it to be cooked plain, no oil, no seasoning, no nuts, and not touching any of those things, it's REALLY IMPORTANT. I Have terrible allergies." (I freely admit that I was a tad condescending, but it's my life, my body, and this kid had the party-boy look, and he was young). He looked straight at me, and said, "Before I take your order, let me talk to my chef and make sure we can accommodate you."
Boy, was I impressed (and feeling a tad guilty). I was even more impressed when he came back to the table, extremely apologetic, and explained that his chef didn't speak English as a first language, and he (the waiter) was VERY concerned that the cross-contamination would be a major problem. He even suggested a place or two we could go where he thought I'd be safer eating, AND APOLOGIZED ON BEHALF OF HIS RESTAURANT. I in turn, apologized to him, and thanked him profusely.
Off we went in search of another restaurant (there are probably 50 on the main street alone), but relieved to have heard an answer like that!
Thank you for your honesty, Blue Lagoon.
Sincerely,
Your Allergic Diner



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