The Surgeon General has determined that optimism can be hazardous to your health.

Before you go thinking that all we do in Eclecticland is eat out, let me assure you that we do other things as well.

Last night we stayed at our son's baseball game until the very, very end. Of course the game went long because the other team couldn't seem to shut our guys down -- it was a rout, a veritable baseball clinic. That's great. Except when the bottom of each inning lasts into eternity, then you never get to go home. Even when the ump mercifully called the game after only 6 innings, there was the coach's talk, the snack line, and the interminable goodbyes to hyped-up li'l teammates. So we opted to have a quick dinner out and then home to salvage what was left of bedtime.

At this point, the plot thickens.

In our little corner of the world, there is a restaurant I have avoided for all of 8 years because it has the appearance of a ramshackle dive. Also, it is an establishment specializing in teriyaki. Although I'm no particular fan of teriyaki, it might not be so bad... except that it's named after it's owner/chef: "Original Jay's." Now I ask you, would you be eager to eat at a hole-in-the-wall teriyaki place named after an anglo?? That's like eating at an Italian place named "Paddy's" or Tex-Mex cuisine called "Lotus Room" or something. But, because it was convenient to the baseball field, promised immediate service and reasonable prices, AND was likely to have vegetables available, we decided "Original Jay's" it is.

When we entered, the very young, very blonde, very immense hostess dislodged herself from behind the diner-style counter to inform us that they would be closing in a mere 40 minutes so we'd have to eat fast. Alarming, yes..., but we were in a hurry anyway, and hey, maybe her girth was an indicator that the food was very good. We ordered from pink vinyl menus (I only wish I were exaggerating) and settled in to wait. *cue music over the p.a. system.* Ever heard bluegrass music over a 'p.a. system'? Yeah, me neither until last night...eating teriyaki...with previously-frozen mixed vegetables...at Original Jay's.

Oh, dear mother of God.