Since we are visiting Vancouver, Nino and I went out on a date.  Having just come from a post breakup interview with Brandon, where we discussed many-a ruined date due to plastic, I was a little on edge.

Nino and I were in the endless line to get into Antons, a restaurant notorious for heaping servings and hence guaranteed leftovers.  We were finding it hard to stay positive watching the styrofoam** packages wrapped in plastic bags walking out the door in the hands of the oblivious.  Many of the bags also contained bread with accompanying plastic butter dishes!

**Note to WordPress!  I REFUSE to capitalize the word styrofoam! It doesn’t deserve it so please stop underlining it and bringing more attention to it as I write.

I actually had to tell Nino to stop talking about plastic as it was indeed, putting a negative spin on the date.  The final straw was when he told me he had seen a banana in Starbucks with a plastic ad sticker on it for something other than the banana.  I can’t wait for the day my lettuce arrives with a tag on it telling me about a travel deal or something.

We were finally seated and just as the waitress was putting the basket of bread down- with the plastic butter dishes- I told her briskly that “I have a thing about plastic” and to please bring us a basket with some unpackaged butter.   Surely a pasta place has butter!  Just as quickly as she had set the basket down, she whisked it off the table without a word, and returned with my request.

The date continued with a successfully strawless drink, our food placed in our own leftover containers, our dessert simply on a napkin for home and, contrary to everyone around us, no plastic-wrapped candies with the bill.  No fuss, no questions.  Just service.

Before we left I told the waitress how much I appreciated her efforts.  She had made my night and a memorable date.

If only the customer was, in fact, always right.

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