Dine and Ditch...almost

I'm in Chicago again on business, as you probably gathered from the last post. Tonight I went to a restaurant a block away from my hotel, because (1) I was tired, (2) I had very little time to find someplace else, and (3) I didn't want to eat at my hotel because although it's very good, it was also the last place I ate in Chicago (just last week). So I walked into this other restaurant, which is actually a pretty nice place, was seated and checked out the menu. After looking over the selections, however, I quickly realized that absolutely none of the items on the menu appealed to me. Not a single one. The only thing that looked halfway decent was the grilled salmon, but I never order fish when I'm in the midwest. It's just a rule I have. I debated with myself about what to do, because I really didn't want to spend the time and money on a meal that I didn't care for (the place wasn't all that cheap, frankly). At the same time, it would be pretty rude to just get up and walk away. So I struck a sort of compromise. I got up and rushed over to the hostess who had just seated me, and while clutching my cell phone I said, "I'm very sorry, but I won't be able to eat here after all. I have to leave. It's urgent." Before she could form a response I turned and was on my way out the door. It wasn't entirely a lie. After all, I was starving, so dinner was an urgent matter, and I could not eat at a place where none of the choices appealed to me. So there. I walked briskly the block back to my hotel's restaurant and took a seat on the patio, where I soon found myself dining on a very tender flat iron steak with gorgeous garlic mashed potatoes and spinach. It was a most excellent decision on my part, although I did feel a little bad for leaving the other place. Life's just too short to eat bad food. (Especially when the company is paying. :-)