There is a long queue at our favorite and newest getaway place and my tummy is in a hurry. Just last month, the resident doctor who read my lab tests had been adamant when she advised, no-no to all oily foods, with a special mention to pork. After a long think and read on what are the best to eat (aside from the usual ho-hum veggies), I’ve finally decided to try and make do with what is my partner’s one and only comfort food for the season, Goto. Since my visit to the doc, I’ve awaited this moment when we could finally have the time to get here and sample what she had always been raving about. Bummer of all bummers, it’s taking too long.
It’s called phubbing, or “the practice of ignoring one’s companion or companions in order to pay attention to one’s phone or other mobile device.”
I noticed the stall nearby had fewer people lining up at its cashier window and for a brief moment, I was tempted to sample what specialty they were offering. Talk about desperate and hungry. But when I checked, the small sign read “barbeque”. I likened the sinking feeling I got to the time when I finally stopped smoking during the height of the pandemic. During that time, when it was finally safe to venture outside, our first visits to relatives were torture, especially when my nephews would jokingly offer me a stick to test my resolve. I’m reliving that feel now.
I’m right away thinking, maybe we should have come on a weekday. The matey had countered, office time. Perhaps in the evening then? Traffic. So, there’s no use. Grin and bear it. I whip out the old handy dopamine machine and proceed to play my mahjong game. Once in a while, I look up and I see people at their tables doing the same thing, their Led screens painting ghostly images on their faces.
As an aside, I’ve just recently learned, there’s a relatively – new term which aptly describes any scene where people at a table ignore each other while they fidget with their mobiles. It’s called phubbing, or “the practice of ignoring one’s companion or companions in order to pay attention to one’s phone or other mobile device.” I’m imagining, that particular wordsmith must have also been privy to waiting in lines for take-outs such as these when he coined the new word. Kudos, yes but when’s our Goto?
Suddenly, there’s a minor ruckus at our line. Slowly, it began to become non-existent, with only us manning the ex-queue. As we raced up front, my heart skipped a beat when the guy said, “so sorry sir, we’ve run out of Goto.”
“How could you!“ I shouted, feeling the gentle pat of my partner on my shoulder. “Hush… You’re dreaming again.”
I situate myself for a second and slowly realize, indeed I was. I sink back on the pillow sighing, and think back, oh my, that barbecue looked amazing.
