When you see a title like "Fifteen" on a random bit of writing, you might be temped to think, "This is surely a piece that delves deeply into the struggles of the American teenager." Then you may double check to see that a guy is writing, and think, "It is surely about the confusion involved with being between being a boy and becoming a man. There is probably a bit about the sorrow of surviving adolescence and the impending freedom implied with obtaining one's driver's license." Then you might think that I would sum it up with an overall statement like, "The ever-present angst of the average male American teenager is tempered with a healthy dose of hope and promise."
Well, smartypants, I am not going to talk about teenagers at all! No, today I am going to talk about something far more important! I am going to talk about the fact that Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company does not serve Dr Pepper anymore! Whew! It feels good to get that off my chest.
Now before you (rightfully) call me petty, immature, ridiculous, and bizarre let me tell you that I have my reasons to be this worked up. But first I need to set the ground rules. Dr Pepper is the greatest soft drink to ever cross the lips of mere mortals...but that goes without saying. One of my favorite vacation memories was when I traveled to Texas (the birthplace of Dr Pepper) and noticed that there were no vending machines for Coke or Pepsi...there were only Dr Pepper vending machines. Ahhh... These people understand me... It was refreshing to be able to go into restaurants and just order Dr Pepper without having to ask if they had it. Of Course They Had It! They even had it at the rodeo's we went to! It was everywhere! But I suspect, if Bubba Gump's was to open a restaurant, they would not have it.
Unfortunately, for this particular restaurant, I am also a movie guy. It is my thinking that if you open a movie-themed restaurant, you should stay true to the movie. For the most part, they do a pretty good job. There is a bench out front with a suitcase and a box of chocolates on top. There are even ceramic running shoes in front of the bench. They are hollowed out so you can slip your shoes into the (I'm guessing) size 23 Nikes to take a picture. Inside, they have memorabilia, props, reproductions, notes about location, sayings, nautical items galore, there is even part of a boat (named Jenny) built onto the ceiling. There are license plates hanging at the table that say, "Run, Forrest, Run!" and "Stop, Forrest, Stop!" so you can signal whether or not you need something at your table. I have to say I was fairly impressed.
We had eaten there before and the last time we were there I ordered a Dr Pepper like I was in the heart of Texas. "I'm sorry. We don't have Dr Pepper anymore." What?! Have you seen the movie!? Look at that guy's shirt! It says, "I Gotta Pee." Do you know why it says that? He drank too many Dr Peppers! They called the riot squad...I was sedated...the kids and Sylvia became very friendly with the people sitting next to us (and pretended they didn't know me)...and worst of all, I almost didn't get my fish and chips. Ok, so maybe almost none of that happened, but I was shocked that this restaurant, who tried so hard on their memorabilia, let this one detail slip through the cracks. I half-heartedly vowed (politicians do it all the time) to not eat there again unless they brought back Dr Pepper. I was, of course, speaking as a drink/movie enthusiast.
I held my promise...for a number of visits to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (a block from the restaurant) but the family outvoted me this time. We asked if they had brought back the Dr yet. They slumped like they hear that a thousand times a day and said, "No." On our way to the table they suggested that I speak to the manager about this and "give him a hard time" since they were tired of hearing it. Then the waitress came over and started asking questions about the movie. They are obviously geared toward the "I've seen the movie once" crowd. She asked things like, "Here at BUBBA Gump's we want to know what was Forrest's friend's name?" Bubba.
"What did Forrest name his boats?" then pointed up. The Jenny.
"On what part of the body did Forrest get shot?" The Buttocks.
"What war was Forrest in?" Viet Nam.
She laughed at all the help I was giving the kids with the answers and was kind enough to not mention that this was all from a movie that was made when she was one.
We "won" her contest and said that our prize was all the toothpicks and mints that we wanted.
As a movie guy, I laughed at her easy questions. And then I asked her a question.
"How many Dr Peppers does Forrest Drink?"
"FIFTEEN!
Which is fifteen more than I can get here because you don't serve them at all!"
(I'm sure I was her favorite customer all night)
Well, smartypants, I am not going to talk about teenagers at all! No, today I am going to talk about something far more important! I am going to talk about the fact that Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company does not serve Dr Pepper anymore! Whew! It feels good to get that off my chest.
Now before you (rightfully) call me petty, immature, ridiculous, and bizarre let me tell you that I have my reasons to be this worked up. But first I need to set the ground rules. Dr Pepper is the greatest soft drink to ever cross the lips of mere mortals...but that goes without saying. One of my favorite vacation memories was when I traveled to Texas (the birthplace of Dr Pepper) and noticed that there were no vending machines for Coke or Pepsi...there were only Dr Pepper vending machines. Ahhh... These people understand me... It was refreshing to be able to go into restaurants and just order Dr Pepper without having to ask if they had it. Of Course They Had It! They even had it at the rodeo's we went to! It was everywhere! But I suspect, if Bubba Gump's was to open a restaurant, they would not have it.
Unfortunately, for this particular restaurant, I am also a movie guy. It is my thinking that if you open a movie-themed restaurant, you should stay true to the movie. For the most part, they do a pretty good job. There is a bench out front with a suitcase and a box of chocolates on top. There are even ceramic running shoes in front of the bench. They are hollowed out so you can slip your shoes into the (I'm guessing) size 23 Nikes to take a picture. Inside, they have memorabilia, props, reproductions, notes about location, sayings, nautical items galore, there is even part of a boat (named Jenny) built onto the ceiling. There are license plates hanging at the table that say, "Run, Forrest, Run!" and "Stop, Forrest, Stop!" so you can signal whether or not you need something at your table. I have to say I was fairly impressed.
We had eaten there before and the last time we were there I ordered a Dr Pepper like I was in the heart of Texas. "I'm sorry. We don't have Dr Pepper anymore." What?! Have you seen the movie!? Look at that guy's shirt! It says, "I Gotta Pee." Do you know why it says that? He drank too many Dr Peppers! They called the riot squad...I was sedated...the kids and Sylvia became very friendly with the people sitting next to us (and pretended they didn't know me)...and worst of all, I almost didn't get my fish and chips. Ok, so maybe almost none of that happened, but I was shocked that this restaurant, who tried so hard on their memorabilia, let this one detail slip through the cracks. I half-heartedly vowed (politicians do it all the time) to not eat there again unless they brought back Dr Pepper. I was, of course, speaking as a drink/movie enthusiast.
I held my promise...for a number of visits to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (a block from the restaurant) but the family outvoted me this time. We asked if they had brought back the Dr yet. They slumped like they hear that a thousand times a day and said, "No." On our way to the table they suggested that I speak to the manager about this and "give him a hard time" since they were tired of hearing it. Then the waitress came over and started asking questions about the movie. They are obviously geared toward the "I've seen the movie once" crowd. She asked things like, "Here at BUBBA Gump's we want to know what was Forrest's friend's name?" Bubba.
"What did Forrest name his boats?" then pointed up. The Jenny.
"On what part of the body did Forrest get shot?" The Buttocks.
"What war was Forrest in?" Viet Nam.
She laughed at all the help I was giving the kids with the answers and was kind enough to not mention that this was all from a movie that was made when she was one.
We "won" her contest and said that our prize was all the toothpicks and mints that we wanted.
As a movie guy, I laughed at her easy questions. And then I asked her a question.
"How many Dr Peppers does Forrest Drink?"
"FIFTEEN!
Which is fifteen more than I can get here because you don't serve them at all!"
(I'm sure I was her favorite customer all night)
No comments:
Post a Comment