USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving.
Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free.
I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these."
"They just come with the table, man."
They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner.
This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat.
I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared.
"Did we…?"
"Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless."
Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined.
My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude."
Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man.
I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy.
Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived.
I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most.
Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.
I know it’s become pretty cliche and cringey to talk about at this point but if you’re under like 25 I cannot stress enough how one time Obama wore a tan suit and people spent a week arguing over whether or not it was demeaning to the Oval Office and they were serious about it.
I have never made a political post on this website and I’m certainly not starting today but I hope we can all come together to admit how hilarious it is that this edit is an absolute banger
Celtics 2020 second-round pick Yam Madar is committing to LSU for basketball
Madar played 3 Summer League games for the C's in 2021, but has played in Europe for the past 6 years
He turns 26 years old in December
The NCAA eligibility rules are in shambles
as much as i criticize drake he was one of the first major artists to sign on to the artists for a ceasefire petition. literally 23 days after october 7.
Though shocking at first, I genuinely think Joel Embiid belongs in Sacramento on a spiritual level.
He will carry on the torch from Boogie Cousins putting up insane numbers for the Kings around a roster that would not actually work in any alternate universe!
People around the league think a Joel Embiid-for-Domantas Sabonis trade could work, per @JakeLFischer
“One longshot scenario that does get mentioned by rival team strategists is an Embiid-for-Domantas Sabonis swap with Sacramento … but even longshot might be underselling it. Both former All-Star big men could probably use a fresh start, but there's just no getting around the fact that Embiid, at 32, seems incapable of holding up for a deep playoff run. Which certainly shortens the list of potential suitors.”
(Via https://t.co/hie3daYnjW)
Jason Collins was a beloved member of the Celtics family. He was a pioneer in the NBA and professional sports, and we are grateful to have felt his impact in Boston.
May he rest in peace 💚