THREE SALAD SANDWICHES (August 26, 2007)

As I was sitting at the hotel terrace, three British tourists sat at the neighboring table. As soon as the waiter arrived, a comedy of errors started unfolding in front of my eyes. Besides drinks, which were rather ordinary by local standards, all the tourists wanted were three salad sandwiches. The waiter had no idea what they were talking about. Bewildered, he turned to me. It took the four of us, as well as three valiant attempts on the part of the waiter, for the kitchen to produce those three sandwiches with lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. In the end, the tourists were more than happy with their fare, but I could only imagine the hilarity in the hotel kitchen. Lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes? No meat or cheese? Between two pieces of sliced bread? The three salad sandwiches are bound to be remembered for quite a while by the kitchen crew.