A Little Philosophical Exchange Inside A Pizza-Quesadilla
My grandfather and I were returning from a long trip. It was Christmas night, we had not eaten very much at the Christmas church service we were returning from, and Grandpa had an unused $20 gift card for [Popular Pizza Chain], so we decided to stop at that chain for something to eat.
I scratched off the gift card and entered the small store. I’d never been inside a [Chain] before and didn’t know what they usually sold, so it took me a moment to inspect the menu. The store was empty except for two scruffy-looking, strong, tattooed young men behind the counter. One was bald, and the other wore long dreadlocks. Being a young woman alone in the building with them, I was admittedly somewhat nervous initially.
The scruffier employee, perhaps seeing my hesitation, greeted me.
Employee: “Hi. Have you ever been in a [Chain] before?”
Me: “Oh, hi. Nope, never, but I was always curious. Do you guys sell sandwiches at all?”
He smiled at my stupid question but he answered my question instead of laughing at me.
Employee: “Really, never? No, we don’t sell sandwiches, but I can make you a couple of [pizza ‘quesadillas’], folded pizza crusts stuffed with whatever you want.”
I ordered a cheesesteak “quesadilla” for Grandpa and a custom “quesadilla” stuffed with turkey, BBQ sauce, spinach, and Swiss cheese for myself. As the less scruffy employee went to make them for me, the first employee made small talk.
Employee: “You look like you’re dressed up for church.”
I was wearing a modest dress, black dress shoes, and a 1940s-style cloche hat.
Me: “Yep, my grandfather wanted to go to a Christmas service with his family a couple of hours away. I’m Christian, but I don’t really celebrate Christmas. I went for him, though. Do you guys usually work through the holidays?”
Employee: “I’m Muslim; I don’t celebrate Christmas, either. We work through every holiday.”
He then started getting into a deep discussion on common morals versus religion, the moral obligations of man, how television corrupts both religion and morals, etc. I admit, it was an interesting conversation, and we actually agreed on several points. It turned out that he was quite the philosopher. By the time the food was done, we both had a decent amount of respect for each other’s viewpoints.
When I went to check out, the gift card wouldn’t scan. It turns out their scanner was broken.
Employee: “You know what? They’re on the house. It was really nice talking to somebody so polite with a head on their shoulders, and it’s off-hours. Just enjoy them.”
I thanked them both and left a big tip, waving and wishing them well as I left. The “quesadillas” were fantastic, and I will definitely be returning to that place.
