It’s not often we eat out. A: the wife has many food restrictions. B: It’s economics. Taking five people out to eat is expensive. Two of these kids can eat their fair adult shares of a dinner. But, tonight, we went out. I had everything ready to make dinner, but I was tired. The wife was tired.
She suggested Mexican; her go to restaurant. For a woman with so many dietary restrictions for an upset stomach, the irony of Mexican food is just head shakingly odd. If that’s what works, that’s what we get. I’m not exactly a fan. I usually have taquitos and chips with queso.
Here’s how things went tonight… We got lucky and only had four of us. The youngest got a $7.99 kids meal of hamburger and fries. The hamburger was lame at best, but she didn’t seem to mind. I have to say the fries were amazing. Hot, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and properly salted. If you’ve never dipped a fry in queso, do yourself a favor. Also $2.49 for a Sprite. Seven-year-old equals $10.48. Fail
The middle granddaughter had the kids buffet. It seemed like a good idea for how much she eats at dinnertime at home, $8.99 and drink $2.49 equals $11.48. She ate what amounts to a taco and a few potato chunks. Fail
I got the adult buffet. Now in the past I’d eat my fair share and get my money’s worth. Nowadays, I eat less. I had two taquitos and some rice/beans/potatoes. $13.99 and a drink for $2.49 equals $16.48. Fail. I didn’t really enjoy it either.
My wife, the woman who wanted Mexican tonight, doesn’t find that she eats enough to justify the buffet cost. She’s right. She ordered off the menu. She ordered a chicken quesadilla with mushrooms and spinach. I’m going to let you know right now it was a Fail. She got her quesadilla and it has the chicken and mushrooms. It did not have the spinach. Instead, it has green peppers, a big no-no on her list of no-nos. She scraped them off. She had a water.
Her charge gets a paragraph all to itself. Her quesadilla was $7.99. Add chicken $2.99 Add mushrooms $1.99 Add “vegetables” $4.99. Yes, $4.99 for a quarter cup of green peppers she couldn’t even eat. Before we had that removed from the bill, her grand total was $17.96 FOR A QUESADILLA! Almost $4.00 more than the buffet which had all of that on it.
Again, FAIL
Then there’s the walk out to the car. In my mind I’m thinking how ridiculous it was to pay that much money for a very unpleasant meal. I do it almost every time we eat out. I will admit I am a cheapskate, but you should at least enjoy the meal. My wife paid because she has all the money. That’s when guilt sets in. I feel so bad that she has paid over $50.00 for a lousy meal. It doesn’t matter it was her choice.
Tomorrow, we will have the meal planned for today; grilled sirloin tips, ironically, spinach, and a special gnocchi and cheese dish I make that will make you forget macaroni and cheese. That sounds so much more appetizing and a whole lot less expensive. I’m a value shopper and I’ll share that with you someday. Right now it’s time for some Kroger brand ice cream out of the freezer, $1.99. Success!
Let’s talk soon…
