Dinner and a Show

On Monday, Lydia and I had tickets to the Broadway in Columbia series, “Wizard of Oz.” The plan was to head from work to dinner and then the show. When discussing what type of food she was interested in, she mentioned that she had really enjoyed eating pizza while in NYC. I told her that I was planning on taking her to my favorite pizza restaurant, LaBrasca’s Pizza, later in the week. We ended up going to Harper’s, which is also one of my favorite restaurants as I wanted to show her a little nicer dining establishment. While looking over the menu, she said she was interested in eating fish; did the restaurant have anything similar to the fish in Uganda? Well, the options at Harper’s were honey glazed salmon, pecan encrusted trout and the special was swordfish. Growing up under my father’s tutelage, I am well versed in different types of fish, and I did not think that any of these options were similar to the Ugandan tilapia or Nile perch. Just to double check on the swordfish though, I called Dad; Mama answered and said he was at his church’s men’s club meeting, but she would try to catch him. She called back to confirm what I thought: swordfish is not like tilapia. I told Lydia the closest item was the trout, but she was not interested in the “pecan encrusted” part (sometimes it is just difficult to describe American food). She finally bravely settled on trying the salmon, but instead of the honey glazed, she said she wanted something “savory.” Between Gary the waiter and I, we decided she should try it blackened. I ordered the Chicken supremes salad, one of my favorite dishes, and the pesto pasta salad. When the food arrived, we dug in. I had her taste the pasta salad; her comment was “the pasta is cold.” I told her that here we serve pasta hot or cold. She liked her salmon, and when I asked if she would order it again, she said yes and that she would try it with the glaze. The great thing about Lydia is that she is willing to try anything. While dining, Lydia mentioned that the service was really good; “they are very attentive to us.” I explained that is where the tipping comes in. I don’t think she really understood the tipping until last night because while in NYC, we never experienced really great service anywhere. It also could be that service in the south is very different as we hold that “southern charm” so important.
Lydia also enjoyed the “Wizard of Oz.” At intermission, she said, “It is just so creative.” I am so glad that I was able to watch the show with her as beforehand I was not so excited about seeing it. I mean, I have seen the movie a gazillion times and the play before, and the story does not change. However, seeing it with Lydia allowed me to see it through her eyes, and that made the experience great. When you look at it through new eyes, the story is creative and the characters are endearing. It’s no wonder the story has remained so popular for so many years. On a more personal note, it was also very interesting to watch after having seen “Wicked.” I just can’t hate the Wicked Witch of the West anymore… she is so misunderstood. And Glenda the “good” witch?... Ha.
We have a busy week ahead of us and then the trip to Charleston this weekend. Pray for sunny weather Saturday so we can go out on the boat.