While at work, a fellow co-worker mentions he went to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner last night. That gets my taste-buds raging for a steak.The only place by my apartment to get a steak is the local cafeteria. So I decide to stop in for a ribeye on the way home. They have a take out entrance so I go in there and wait for about 10 minutes until a young woman comes over and says that they're really busy, would I mind just going ahead and getting in the regular line to order. Sure I have no problem with that and I'm in no hurry. At first they say they don't make steaks in the winter, but then the manager says he'll make one up for me special. They just don't normally make them except to order. Sure ok, so I sit down to wait on a bench they've placed next to the line and start to watch the other customers.

I really like to watch people. I think it's fascinating to sit at the airport when you're waiting on your plane to just watch the people walk by. I watch them unobtrusively so I don't seem ilke a psychopath out for his next slash. I just like to watch, maybe I have more of the voyeur gene in me than most people. It's not something sexual, I just like to observe people from afar.

As I'm sitting there in the mostly deserted serving area, the first customer comes in. He's a tall black man wearing a suit. Pretty nondescript, and I don't really notice him too much and concentrate on the servers behind the counter. Usually, it seems that the dregs of humanity fall through the sieve of social cliques and land into some kind of geriatric cafeteria. They appear to me to be the weirdest people I have ever encountered.

strange woman with hair net: Meat?

me: Um, yea I'll have the roast beef please.

strange man with hair net: Veg'table?

me: mashed potatoes , and green beans.

strange woman with hair net #2: Bread?

and on and on till I get to strange "Cashier with hair net."

You get the idea from their mostly monosyllabic questions and answers that they aren't too enthused about the job.

But this particular restaurant didn't have any of the odd people. Not to seem that I don't like odd people, It just seems that if the Island of misfit toys had a basement, it would be called Luby's cafeteria.

So I occupied myself with watching the servers speaking spanish with each other until the next customer came in. He was another smartly dressed black man in a black tracksuit. I watched him ask for his carrot salad then move past the entree section to the vegetables and order about four or five different items. Then he did a little happy dance. Not some kind of flailing happy dance, just a small little quiet one second jig as if to say, " I'm gonna have me some vegetables. can I still dance? :::dance dance::: Yep. I can." Then he moved on. I smiled at that.

Next I sensed a shadow fall over me and looked around in time to see the tallest white couple I had ever seen walking toward me. They looked like members of the Prussian Guard and must have both been about 6 foot nine. She even had on what looked like jackboots. So I watched Field Marshal Blucher and his wife Helga order their food until my attention is diverted to the next group coming in.

A middle aged couple and a 3 year old boy came along in line. The woman who I assumed was the boys mother was asking him what he wanted to eat.

"Fied chiggen."

"You want fried chicken? Are you sure?"

"yes.....uh.....n....I .....want some.... I .....::::::fidgeting:::: I chiggen fied steak........(as the server swaps out entrees back and forth with his whims).......no .......I want............I GOTTA GO PEE!

He bellows the last part as he grabs his crotch in a death grip of helpless bladder strength as if he's about to detonate on the spot any second.

He's whisked away to the bathroom by mother, then the manager brings out my steak.

"Hows this? This how you like it?

I say that it looks fine and pick the vegetables I want.

I didn't even realize how long it had taken until I was walking out to my truck. I had been in there about thirty-five minutes but it seemed more like five.

People watching is one of my favorite things. Is it Zen to do this? I don't know anything about that . It's just that when I have time to sit back and watch people going about their business, I realize that reality Television is boring compared to it.