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.
@TheCinesthetic Deadwood, no question. One of the best shows ever made. Shame the didn’t get to finish out the original run, but I rewatch all 3 seasons we did get at least once a year.
@ShamsCharania Too little, too late. I was a 30+ year Mavs fan (used to consider myself a MFFL), but some betrayals can’t be undone. I haven’t watched a minute of NBA basketball since the trade, and I never will again.
@DaveSturchio Very well said and well-deserved by Dak. I’m a 47 year old man, and I feel the same way. I wish my own track record was half as purposeful and prioritized as his life appears to be. We could not ask for a better person to be the face of our team.
@gatorgar Just go in with an open heart. I would also recommend The Bible Project podcasts / videos online. I grew up in church, but I’ve learned a LOT more through their teachings than I had previously understood.
@PolymarketBlitz By this logic, only former players would become coaches, scouts, and GMs. Many of the best to have ever done each of those jobs never played a down in the NFL.
@michaelirvin88 THIS (and a million other reasons) is why we love you, @michaelirvin88. That’s exactly what many of us are feeling after last night. :)