I work in a very diverse neighborhood, so I have a multitude of choices at lunchtime. This works out well because I love trying new food. The downside is how exhausting it can be to work up the nerve to walk into a restaurant where no one speaks your language fluently, where you can’t read the menu, and where you may not be sure of what you’ve ordered even after you’ve eaten it.
I thought I was ordering a simple lunch combo at one place, and ended up with the entire left hand side of a menu sitting in front of me. Food just kept coming!
Whenever I think about that, I think again about how brave people are to uproot themselves and their families, move across the world, and start new lives in places where no one speaks their language fluently, they can’t read the menus, and not even the television can communicate information effectively. That takes a lot of hope and faith in community.
I put some faith in Travelocity today, and booked one of their “super secret” hotel deals. I’ll let you know how that turns out.
The Outside Lane 