Would you like some adultery with your soup?

Dateline: Avignon, France

Another dispatch from the surreal, you-just-can't-make-that-stuff-up file.

So Brian and I were in the mood for Asian food tonight and ended up finding a Vietnamese/Thai place whose menu looked good (and affordable.) Though it was empty, we had seen some people getting take out from there earlier, so we thought it would probably be ok.

Upon entering, we discovered that the place wasn't totally empty: there was a middle-aged French man sitting at a table smoking a cigarette and arguing loudly with the late twenties asian waitress. They stopped for a moment to tell us to sit anywhere and to bring us menus and then continued right back where they left off at full voice. Somebody else came in to pick up take out, they stopped to take the order and money, then continued while he waited for his food.

At first I was just concentrating on trying to figure out what to order and wishing they weren't being so loud. After a while though, I couldn't help hearing the words. Ok. That's a lie. I was eavesdropping like nobody's business. (though can you really call it eavesdropping when the conversation is going on at full volume about 10 feet from you?)

Anyway, it turns out that the conversation centers around him loving her and wondering whether her father is going to be an issue as they were from different backgrounds and her saying to leave her father out of it, but what was up with his wife...it was all well and good to say that she had special friends too, but why didnt he just leave her? She couldn't understand what the point of staying together was if you fought all the time; why not just separate? And he kept saying that wasn't the issue. Meanwhile, he was also saying something about how even if his wife wanted a divorce, he could refuse her one under French law (though another customer who he asked for confirmation on this point rebutted him). Oh yeah, then the phone rang and she finished the conversation and then came back and said 'and why is she calling here anyway? does she know that you are here? She must, otherwise why would she call?'

Again..you have to picture this happening 10 feet away from us and another table of customers, at full voices; and then whenever another customer would come in for takeout, or one of our dishes was ready, or somebody wanted to order, she would stop yelling; then in a very nice soft voice conduct the restaurant business and then immediately continue the argument where she left off.

Not really what we expected for the evening, but as dinner theater accompanying what turned out to be fairly decent food (cooked by mom hiding in the kitchen) it was a success.

Becca