Way off Subject

OK - I am going to get way off the subject of food security in this post - so bear with me. My husband loves to eat breakfast out - it drives me crazy but I love him so much that most of the time I join him. We go to one particular restaurant that belongs to two sisters. Yesterday I ate there and the owner related this story to me.

There is a group of city fathers that get together and drink coffee. They used to get together at Rivett's and take up the first table and the city mayor is often with them. This group includes about 8 men. First she asked me if we were going to go eat at another restaurant in Sapulpa that was recently had a new facelift and then said these men told her they were going to start going to it cuz it was all fresh and new. (This other restaurant as of right now has 73 health dept violations and I won't eat there after getting several pieces of dirty silverware. We actually drive past this restaurant to get to the sister's restaurant.) I made a face and told her I'd stick with her restaurant.

Then they asked her why she didn't give free coffee to the police and the firemen. She said she doesn't give anyone free coffee, although all fill-ups are free. Someone in this group of city jerks then told her she would be doing herself a favor because then she would be less hassled. She was angry when she told me this because her family fled communist VietNam in the 70s after her father was arrested for failing to bribe the police in that country. She felt that if she wanted to buy cops favor, she could have stayed in Nam instead of coming here. We discussed the finer points of how it seems that our nations politics and heart and freedoms have been slowly dwindling away and she has lived here since she was 10 years old. I am truly concerned about ethics - of which I see none in our political system.

How is it that we have city officials who believe that cops and firemen have a right to free coffee - not a privilege but a right? It was as if they were implying she should also give this group of well-to-do and powerful men free coffee and the fact they usually don't bother to order a meal only makes that a real waste of the restaurant owners coffee, time and space.

I have a softspot for firemen, I'd almost give firemen free coffee but this is her restaurant and her rules and she obey's all the health dept rules - and buys the items needed and hires the plumbers and electricians to install these items.

I don't know if it will do a bit of good but I notified the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation of this incident. I am angry to know that these men who never have their wives with them think they have a right to tell a restaurant owner that she should serve free coffee to anyone. She indicated that they were also rude as men to the waittresses and it was absolutely rude for them to even say they would change restaurants based on something as trivial as decor, especially since they choose to go to one funky, nasty place to eat. Any thoughts? I'd sure like to confront these creeps but then I am sure this restaurant would be on the Harrassment List from the city fathers.