Last night with Kung (EBI-chan, 海老ちゃん）we sat and ordered at an Italian owned restaurant. The owner, an Italian woman, was totally drunk, taking our orders; coffee for Kung and garlic bread and deep fried squid for me. Kung got his coffee and bread and I got baby octopus legs with no batter and tough as a tire. The owner, still sloshed, came to talk to us. I used some of my very spotty Italian to explain Kung and I used to work together 26 years ago in the diving business, etc. She explained she was from Modena and I mentioned Ferrari. She said she is wearing a Ferrari red blouse because she is from Maranello, the HQ of Ferrari and the Ferrari racetrack. I mentioned Ristorante Montana and their famous tortellini. She was so happy to hear someone knew about her wonderful home town. I was there with a friend this last June.
Then she mentioned she was stocking up on food because “you don’t know what is happening tomorrow”. Then she mentioned her son and started to weep. I was not sure if she was referring to something happening here in Phuket or something in her home town in Northern Italy that is suffering terribly from the virus. I felt sorry for her.
So, I didn’t complain about the food, paid and thanked them. We need to be flexible, especially now, not knowing what others might be going through.