Lunch with Gage
Nov 15, 2004 18:10:52 GMT
Post by Dai Kaiōshin on Nov 15, 2004 18:10:52 GMT
After four days of the casino buffet, Garin decided that it was time to try some of the local cuisine. Bolivique was a coastal city, reknowned for its seafood, so he led Gage to a local family-owned place near the marina that he'd heard good things about. The two muscular men walked calmly down the sidewalk, drawing the attention of passers-by, especially the young women. Everybody suspected that they were from the tournament and they recognized Gage, but because Garin wore a mask when he fought, no one recognized him, especially since they were looking for the familiar handsome looks of Indigo.
"Now, Gage, the way to tell a good seafood place is by the oysters. At most places, the oysters taste like absolute crap, but if they taste fresh, then they're awesome. And if you can keep the oysters fresh, you can keep anything fresh."
Garin kept his eyes peeled upwards at the various shop signs, looking for the right one, nearly running into people in his ill-attentiveness towards the sidewalk. Finally, he found a sign that read Papa Poseidon's Seafood Bar and Grill, and said, "There it is!"
A huge crowd blocked the sidewalk between Garin, Gage, and the restaurant's narrow door. A rapid fire attack of "Excuse me" and "Pardon me" parted the sea of people until they came to the doorway, which was blocked by another man. "Excuse me," Garin said, trying his tactic again, "Can we scoot by?"
"Scoot by!? No way! I've been waiting here an hour! You'll have to get to the back of the line!"
"An hour!" Garin yelled, "A line?!"
That's when he realized that it wasn't just an ordinary mob they had swam through. It was the line to get into the restaurant. Inside were a few small tables and chairs that were meant to seat twenty people at the most, not the hundreds who were lining up. Before the tournament, Papa Poseidon's was an unknown hole in the wall hidden on a rarely travelled road along the marina. They served undisputedly top-ranked food at a poor man's price. Mama cooked because she loved it, not for the money. It was a treasured secret known to a privileged few fishermen. But word spread like a tidal wave when the tournament came to town, and their small establishment was crowded from the time they opened the door in the morning to the time they closed it at night. Papa normally closed at 8, but now he stayed until 11, and often he still had to turn away disappointed customers.
"Hmm.... maybe we should try somewhere else, Gage. What do you think?"
"Now, Gage, the way to tell a good seafood place is by the oysters. At most places, the oysters taste like absolute crap, but if they taste fresh, then they're awesome. And if you can keep the oysters fresh, you can keep anything fresh."
Garin kept his eyes peeled upwards at the various shop signs, looking for the right one, nearly running into people in his ill-attentiveness towards the sidewalk. Finally, he found a sign that read Papa Poseidon's Seafood Bar and Grill, and said, "There it is!"
A huge crowd blocked the sidewalk between Garin, Gage, and the restaurant's narrow door. A rapid fire attack of "Excuse me" and "Pardon me" parted the sea of people until they came to the doorway, which was blocked by another man. "Excuse me," Garin said, trying his tactic again, "Can we scoot by?"
"Scoot by!? No way! I've been waiting here an hour! You'll have to get to the back of the line!"
"An hour!" Garin yelled, "A line?!"
That's when he realized that it wasn't just an ordinary mob they had swam through. It was the line to get into the restaurant. Inside were a few small tables and chairs that were meant to seat twenty people at the most, not the hundreds who were lining up. Before the tournament, Papa Poseidon's was an unknown hole in the wall hidden on a rarely travelled road along the marina. They served undisputedly top-ranked food at a poor man's price. Mama cooked because she loved it, not for the money. It was a treasured secret known to a privileged few fishermen. But word spread like a tidal wave when the tournament came to town, and their small establishment was crowded from the time they opened the door in the morning to the time they closed it at night. Papa normally closed at 8, but now he stayed until 11, and often he still had to turn away disappointed customers.
"Hmm.... maybe we should try somewhere else, Gage. What do you think?"