So I have been getting some response to posting Tim Easton, Jay Farrar, and Jeff Tweedy MP3s. So I am going to post them more often than I have been. They’ll go up on Friday. Here’s the deal: if you download these songs, I ask that you please download a song from an artist you haven’t heard of. It would make my day.

Having done that, I get to complain.

We went to the art fair at Marine-on-Saint-Croix today. Nice little art fair we go to every year. And the sandwich shop we usually go to was gone. Shame. It was a sweet little place with a special bread that was rather tasty. So we went to this other restaurant.

When we walked in, it was pretty empty. Surprising, because there were a ton of people at the art fair. Good for us, right? We sat down and the server came right away. So far so good. We placed our order within 5 minutes and waited for our food.

And waited. And waited. And waited.

And waited.

The table next to us in 15 minutes after us and they got their food. We finally tracked down the server and asked about our food. “Just a few more minutes.” Uh huh.

Okay, not only was the menu pared down to help them with the crowd, not only did we order some of the simplest items ever (burger, chicken tenders, shish kebabs) but THE PLACE WAS EMPTY when we walked in.

About 15 minutes after “Just a few more minutes.” our food arrived. Mom’s kebabs were off the grill and good. Polly’s burger was not so bad. Although since they didn’t bring us silverware she had to spread mustard with her tomato.

My chicken tenders didn’t qualify as chicken or tender.

I never order chicken tenders. What was I thinking? Mom even asked me why the hell I ordered them. Mom and Polly both tried them and agreed: they were AWFUL.

So yeah I was grumpy. Late, bad food doesn’t make me happy. As a sidenote, I realize it’s not the server’s fault (entirely). They can’t help how the kitchen functions. But I do think she sucked as well.

She came back and said she would bring the bill in a second. I said (after she was out of earshot), “See you in ten minutes.” She came back in ten minutes. She asked how the food was. I said (grumpily), “I’m sorry, but for the record, these chicken tenders were nasty.”

Two minutes later she came back with—what I assume to be—the cook. He inquired about my lunch and I told him basically that I thought it wasn’t very good.

His response? He defended them. Apparently he’s been serving the chicken for a year and no one has ever complained. Yeah, really? I guess no one has any taste. And then he explained that the art fair had made the restaurant so busy that it was difficult to keep up with orders. To be clear, he explained this quite rudely.

Back to topic, Dear cook: both excuses have NOTHING to do with each other. If your food sucks, it’s always gonna suck, art fair notwithstanding. PLUS, as I may have mentioned, the place was empty when we walked in. If you and your staff can’t deal with a semi-full restaurant, you and your staff? Suck.

So I found every penny I had—17 in all—and left it as a tip.

Okay, to be honest I left 15%, but I did include the pennies.

So I realize I’m being… obsessively grumpy. But if you’re ever in Marine-on-Saint-Croix and you find some mook dressed all in Vikings gear working a microwave, give him the finger for me.