Yesterday Eli and I ate lunch at Bertucci's in Old town. He had a grilled cheese focaccia sandwich and juice. I had a grilled chicken Caesar salad with anchovies (which is an extra charge) and a large soft drink. Hot rolls and a delicious garlic oil dip was thrown in gratis. I paid $16 before the tip. We had a friendly waiter and good service. It was a great lunch.
Today we ate at the National zoo's "Mane Restaurant (get it, cute...)". He had a hot dog and a juice. I had a grilled chicken Caesar and a large soft drink. We stood in line to get our food and the workers behind the counter were surly. I paid $21. And to say the food sucked would be doing the word "suck" a disservice (after all, the word can be applied in pleasing ways). Eli only ate a third of his hot dog. And I could only eat my salad because I was hungry and was pretty sure the lettuce hadn't been scraped out of the bottom of an old garbage can, although that was a matter of faith on my part and not a matter of taste. I think the Museum of Natural History must have sent over a mummified hen from their "ancient peoples" exhibit for the chicken in the salad. There was no way the flimsy plastic knife was going to hack its way through that wannabe football.
I've known tourist places like to price gouge families...but since I only infrequently take a child to dine in them it's a shock to the system to see it in action. During Eli's last visit we went to the Museum of Natural History (Eli wanted to see the Mummified Fowls of Ancient Egypt exhibit) and we ended up in the cafeteria there (keep in mind, when one thinks of the word "cafeteria" one expects modest food AND modest prices). Eli wanted a slice of pizza. They had single slices of pizza, in one size: huge (one could assume that all that grease wouldn't fit something smaller).
To be charitable, I thought, well, if we were a family with multiple kids we would split it up. Still, I wasn't the only single parent with one kid in tow. And as I predicted, he ate a small third of it (before his arteries clogged and he turned into a pillar of salt). I forget the cost of the "slice" but I do remember it wasn't cheap. I suppose I could have taken it home for leftovers, but if the Department of Homeland security didn't get me for transporting a bio hazard through the nation's capital then Child Protective Services would have taken me in for child abuse.
For all those politicians who talked about helping "working families" or protecting "family values" I'd say a good place to start would be in the national capital's government and quasi-government run tourist attractions. Guys: you're feeding trash to the families who visit them (and we're not talking Disney here, we're talking Smithsonian Institution and the National Zoo) and charging them an arm and a leg for it.
Hell, it'd be healthier just to close the junk joints down and let us gnaw off our own arms and legs if we get hungry. At least it would be fresh.
3 comments:
I've long thought the "assault on family values" is a better descriptor for such events as you describe than the whole gay marriage debate. If only someone other than you and I would see it.
-C
No fucking way!
I make a point now of always eating before my family and I depart for the zoo or the museums. My sister also brings snacks along in diaper bag for the girls. We do occasionally get a rather expensive snack at the museum. But that institutionalized food that is no better than what schools serve in their cafeterias (or fractions less I may add), is horrible for you, and it doesn't even taste good!
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