The owner has agreed to let Jamie "take over" for a couple days and help make the restaurant more healthy. Immediately, the owner was like, "Well, you can't take anything off the menu" and Jamie was, of course, like "So...how am I supposed to make this place healthier...?" And the owner was like, "Look, man, I have regulars who get every single thing on this menu. So take away any one thing and you get at the very least someone who orders it three times a week not coming back."
And I'M LIKE, "Say what!"
YOU HAVE TO ADD THE GOOD STUFF TO GET RID OF THE OLD CRUMMY STUFF!
Maybe some of the regulars wouldn't come back anymore if the nasty dog-food infused burgers weren't available, but maybe they would be happy to eat the alternative sandwich, or maybe there would just be a new clientele. Who wants to be the person giving someone bad food three times a week because customers will eat it?
The guy who made up the fake Twitter for Rahm Emanuel got so crazy popular that the real Rahm let him donate to any charity of his choice. The guy, a journalism professor, picked a program that encourages kids to write. I remember hearing that and, of course, being happy, but then kind of wondering if a dinko writing club is really the best place to pour a pile of money. And the answer is YES. YES. Because all the world's problems can't be solved by throwing money at bad stuff defensively. But, even if they COULD be solved that way (for a moment) they won't go away unless we've got back-up. Unless we've got the good stuff safety netting the trapeze.
Japan Ladies, Fukoi 2008
Like, maybe it seems better to donate that money to inner-city gang clean-up, but actually, no. A writing group provides kids the outreach, thought, and passion to deter themselves from joining gangs (ideally) PLUS a plan or program for other kids trying to get out! PLUS love and joy and spirit to others uninvolved in gangs to pump the universe with more positivity!
This realization makes me really happy because it proves that the teeny attempts at Good we make aren't overthrown by the bigger badder fanged evils that sometimes seem invincible. We can be pre-emptive by supporting the good stuff--even the little good stuff. I know people SAY that, but I finally really do get it.
Ladies and gentlemen, here's exhibit "A." Didn't I try again, and did the effort pay?
1 comment:
Your post made prefect sense. Everyone should take writing classes. If the world could communicate what it's feeling, it would be a better place.
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