The best conversation EVER!

Sometimes at a restaurant people will have the best conversation of their lives right when you are trying to take their order. You walk up to the table, seeing the menus are closed which normally indicates that people have made their decision. Presumably they would like to order some dinner, maybe a drink, who knows? They get nothing until they tell the server, so you are there to faithfully take their order.

But right when you walk up, the dude at seat two is in the middle of the best part of the greatest story ever told. He can't stop now, this is the most exciting part! So you stand there trying to seem neutral, not eavesdropping but not ignoring. This must be a great story! He's right in the middle of it, too! The other customers see you standing there, but this guy really has the gift of gab, and what a way with words!

Sometimes I will just turn and walk away at this point. Hey, if they are not so hungry that they will pause the story to order, then I will come back later when they feel like participating in the whole "food and drink" thing that we have going on here at the restaurant.

This phenomenon is not unlike that of the person who doesn't touch their water glass until you come up with a pitcher to refill it, and then they pick it up to sip it right when you were going to top it off. What's up with that? It's like they had been abstaining from drinking it out of fear that it wouldn't be refilled, but then when they see you coming with the pitcher they are greatly relieved, and incredibly thirsty all of sudden!

The quality of the conversation often seems directly proportional to how inconvenient the timing is. For example, when the restaurant is closing and all the other patrons have left. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, comes the BEST CONVERSATION OF YOUR LIFE! You can't leave, this is the greatest chat of all time! Let's not let this feeling end, we don't need food or drink, all we need is to sit here at this table all night and just talk and talk and talk.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes when you are a server you have to wait for people to finish talking before they order. We are "waiters," after all. But there is a point at which it seems reasonable to find a stopping point, to press the pause button, take care of your business, then resume the conversation when the server is not standing right there.

How interesting is it, really? I mean, I like talking to my friends too, but I can usually do that while simultaneously maintaining an awareness of my surroundings. You have to ask yourself, is this story as interesting as I think, or do I just love talking? Are my fellow diners hungry? Should we order?

As always, share your comments or thoughts or stories below....