Sunday, September 28, 2008

Buddha is watching you

We decided to go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner tonight. Has anyone else noticed the lack of a really decent, sit-down Chinese restaurant? We tried one we'd never been to before, in Lakeville. Tak Shing.
A few minutes after we'd sat down, Sam noticed the Buddha shrine right above our table. "What is that?"
"It's an idol." I replied.
"Really? Is it really?" He was incredulous. We assured him that some people do worship Buddha and no we didn't know whether the people who work in the restaurant worship Buddha.
He averts his eyes.
"I'm not gonna look at that anymore, because if the waiter sees me looking at it, he'll think I worship him."
Well, that's an interesting take. Is this kind of like not causing "your brother" to stumble?
He tried shielding his eyes, covering only one eye, asking why we made him sit in the chair facing Buddha.
We told him that it means nothing to us. It's just a piece of plastic. As worshippers of Jesus, it means nothing.
I'd catch him gazing at it, and he'd see me and quickly avert his eyes. "Oh!"
He'd turn a little in his chair and we'd ask what he was doing and he'd be all secretive and gesture and whisper, "You know, you know why, right?"
So, Sam's proclamation as we left the parking lot was, "Are we going to come back here to eat again? I hope not!"
Oh, one more funny Sam moment. As we were giving our order, I asked the waiter if they had any sodas that were caffeine free. Just Sierra Mist. But I was dying for a dark soda, so I risked it and ordered a Diet Pepsi. He told me they also had Diet Mountain Dew. I exlaimed, "Oh my, no! That would not be good!"
As the waiter left, Sam mouthed to me, "Why didn't you tell him you were gonna have a baby?"
I don't know what type of connection he was making in his mind between the soda and the baby.

2 comments:

Michelle said...

I can soooo see Sam reacting like this - how hilarious!! He'll probably be commenting on this experience for months, maybe years?

Sarah said...

Yes, it just may be the defining moment of his childhood!