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 โ I must report this calmly โ the basket emptied, and a new one appeared.
"Did weโฆ?"
"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 โ 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.
THE VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES QUALIFY ALL TEN WRESTLERS FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
FOURTH TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY.
THIRD TIME IN FOUR SEASONS.
TONY ROBIE EFFECT.
#ALLINALLTHETIME#Hokies ๐ฆ
I've been involved in recruiting for more than two decades. Covered at least 25 signing days. Never seen anything like what James Franklin is doing at Virginia Tech @VTScoop247
https://t.co/43SbbOH5Bn
๐จBREAKING: Chelsea are reportedly placing all their trophies in the hallway Arsenal have to walk through, basically a โmuseum tourโ before kickoff.
A good way to show Arsenal they play to win trophies.
Ozzy Osbourne has passed away at the age of 76. I still can't believe it.
A few weeks ago he was giving his final concert. I hope you came home, Ozzy โค
Nuno Mendes has been shutting down nearly everyone that has gone against him this season, including Lamine Yamal, Salah and Saka.
Until he met Cole Palmer ๐ฅถ๐ฅถ๐ฅถ