Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Great American Buffet…by Jamil Shawwa

She asked him if he had been to the Great American Buffet, he responded by saying that he lives in it. She looked at him and said you know what I mean, do not try to be smart with me, I know you well enough that these mind games do not work with me. I meant, she continued, the restaurant next to work, they have changed the menu and they have more fabulous varieties now, much more than before. He responded by no, although he remembered the place.

He also remembered many other things related to the Great American Buffet. America loves Buffets, and loves its people to mingle with each other; this is how the idea started. America loves the concept behind the Buffet.

The Great American Buffet stands tall and stands strong, the people that serve there are the same people that eat there, the servers and the customers are from the same background, there is no difference and America likes it that way. America does not like elitists, snobbish and America does not like the word servants.

America calls those that work at the Great American Buffet, servers and not servants. In the same token and on the flip side, America likes to call people that clean houses, the cleaning people or facilities, not servants, and if it happens that the cleaning person is a woman, America calls her, properly, the cleaning lady. To America it is a job, any legal, honest, hard working job, is a job. If you are one of those, very lucky, that have permanent people working for them at their homes, those people are not called servants but they are called staff, and I like it this way.

Everyone on earth directly or indirectly heard, seen, or tried the Great American Buffet. But not very many know that the great American Buffet does not like to keep the same colors, and the same style, it likes to change it’s colors as needed and as business requires, it is always though the Red, Blue and White, but that is only the flag on top of it’s building, other than that the owners change and the food style changes to fit all tastes and needs.

There used to be different sections for different styles, not any more, its all one section but with different variations, and the tables in the middle are no longer separated but connected with chains more powerful than steel to make sure that the different styles never get drfited again. The display has all kinds of dishes from all over the world, at the Great American Buffet, you see the Indian food, and dishes, mingling with the Chinese, the French, the Middle Eastern, not to forget the Russian and the Mexican, and if you are patient and look carefully, you will find a nice section for Sushi, and grilled Korean BBQ. The main dishes are also there, always there, the fried chicken next to the Irish stew and adjacent to the fish and chips.

Though main dishes, they rotate, they do not set or stay still, yesterday it was the Irish dish, today is the African dish, tomorrow there will be an Asian dish, and Spanish dish. The Great American Buffet likes to change it’s décor from time to time to fit the changes in taste but the Great American buffet does not change one thing, it does not change and cannot change its foundation, it modifies and amend as needed, but not the foundation, it renovates and it might tear down the above ground to build a new building but it does not touch the base, the core, the foundation.

That is the story of the Great American Buffet, oh, I forgot to say that it celebrates its clientele and its servers and owners every month or so. This month, it is celebrating the Middle Eastern cuisine, and it has been like this since last month, many dishes of Hummus and falafel and pita bread but though originally Middle Eastern, those dishes are American dishes, do not forget that they are being served right now at the Great American Buffet.

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