Occasions

Alex Wichtel's Feed Me in today's DI/DO focuses on a small thing, but one that points in the direction of larger questions about just what the hospitality industry is:

WHEN it happened for the second time in two weeks, I paid attention.
The first time, I had called North Pond restaurant, in Chicago, to reserve a table for four during Christmas week. The chef, Bruce Sherman, is a big deal, and the place supposedly had beautiful views of the city from its location inside Lincoln Park. I asked for a table with a good view.
“Is this a special occasion?” the reservationist asked. “Are you celebrating something?"

Wichtel goes on to make the eminently reasonable point that for most folks, a meal in a quality restaurant is in itself a special occasion. While the question on the part of the restaurant is supposed to help them serve you better, it seems as if it might be better to assume that the special occasion is the rule, rather than exception. A different context, but the issue reminds me of Fessering when an absent student will ask if we did anything important in class, and I'm tempted to reply that no, it'd just been the regular bullshit.
By way of contrast, a young friend recently described a meal that shows how at its best, a meal in a restaurant can elevate a meal sought for solace after a long and sad week into a special occasion by its own bad self. If you weary of  keeping track of the doings at Bun, or the latest indignity foisted by Food Network, and need reminding of just how much, on a good day, the hospitality industry can contribute to human felicity, take a look.