SARS and microwave

I avoided eating out the last couple of nights due to the SARS outbreak. Suddenly, the microwave that came with my condo, which was hardly used for over a year, is getting all my attention. I stuff everything edible I find at the corner OK Shop (a 7-Eleven wannabe) into my microwave: precooked chicken wings, Napoleon pasta, congee, seafood fried noodles, you name it. I even bought a microwave-safe plastic rice-cooker and a steamer, so the microwaveable food comes out, well, more edible. They are not that bad, really.
But tonight I have had enough of "ding-ding" food and decided to venture out to my favorite pasta place at Fisherman's Wharf in Hung Hom. I go there at least twice a month, so the waitresses all recognize me. Upon my entry, three of the girls were at the door to welcome me, all wearing face-masks. It got me by surprised, as they were right in my face.

They led me to a non-smoking table, then one of them held out a spray bottle and said, "let me help you spray a little." That was my second surprise. I immediately responded, "where do you want to spray it?" She answered, "your hands." But of course, it's an anti-bacterial hand spray; so I held out both my hands.

When the waitress handed me a menu, the inquisitive me had to ask her a question. "Has your restaurant's business worsen since the virus outbreak?" She responded without much thought, "not really; not much difference." I looked at her a bit surprised (my third, by the way), as it wasn't what I expected to hear. Then she continued, "the business is bad before, so I can't really tell the difference." I rest my case.

After dinner on my way home, I stopped by my corner OK shop to pick up a pack of precooked chicken wings, just in case.

Filed Fri - April 4, 2003, 04:46 AM in

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