When Free Will Backfires - As It Often Does

About three decades ago, I was in San Francisco's Chinatown. I was feeling a bit peckish, so I bumbled into a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant on a side street. When I sat down, I noticed first that there were no other foreign devils in the place. Next, I noticed that menu was devoid of English language descriptions of anything. Right about then, a waiter appeared. I asked a question, which was returned by a look of non-comprehension and a shrug. The waiter spoke no English. What do do?

I looked around the restaurant and noticed one man clearly enjoying what he was eating. He was slurping it down at a rapid pace and had a big smile on his face. So, I pointed at the man and then gestured toward myself. The waiter recognized my request, and said, in clumsy English, "American not like." I thought about that and then insisted, by repeating the same gestures. The waiter shrugged and disappeared.

Shortly after that, a bowl appeared in front of me. I slurped up some of the soupy dish and learned instantly that the waiter had been correct. This American did not like that bitter-tasting bowl. Apparently, that was fairly obvious, since the waiter appeared again, pointed at the bowl, then at me, and nodded with a big smile. We both laughed. He had been correct.

So, a new dilemma. What do do now? The waiter, probably having experienced something like this before, quickly picked up the bowl and gave me a gesture that I interpreted as "Wait." Soon, he was back with another dish, which he set in front of me. It had pieces of duck in it, noodles, assorted vegetables, and was quite delicious. I tried it and nodded enthusiastically at the waiter, who smiled again and left. Clearly, he knew that "American like" what he brought me the second time.

So, I had made a choice. I saw a patron who clearly enjoyed his food and reasoned that I would also enjoy it. But, I was warned by the waiter, who apparently knew something I did not know. I chose to ignore the waiter's advice and insisted, only to find that I should have listened to him. He then resolved my problem by removing choice from my options and brought me a dish that he knew pleased American palates. Free will betrayed me in this experiment. I chose to ignore the one person who knew, in favor of observing the gusto with which another customer was eating.

It was only when I gave up my free will and allowed the waiter to choose for me that I was able to enjoy my food.

N.B.: I learned later that the first dish was sea cucumber, which I will be sure never to order again.