Quincy Pickle Kerfuffle

Over the years, the Cod has traced the back-and-forth between chefs and diners over how much say each should have over what goes on the plate. The Cod's position is here. It is, however, a game of give-and-take: if you tell Dave Chang that you like your aged ribeye well done, or tell Grant Achatz to delete mushrooms from his 37 course tasting menu, those dudes can and should run you out of the restaurant. On the other hand, there are some restaurants that feature a more collaborative relation between chef and patron, as in various burrito and wrap places where you point to items in sequence and have them inserted into your cylindrical lunch or not, depending on your preference. It's sort of like Missile Command meets salad bar. (And there are fancy restaurants that will put your dressing on the side, or believe you when you tell them you are allergic to cranberries, or whatever, and there are fast food places where how they got it is how you get it, but I digress) 

Recently, back in the muchbeloved LOTB&TC, there was a misunderstanding about whose vision should prevail:

A Saturday at a sub shop in Quincy quickly turned into a situation that left one employee in a real pickle.

According to MBTA Transit Police, Tina Drouin, 49, will be summonsed to Quincy District Court on assault charges, after she allegedly attacked a worker at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog store at the Quincy Center station because the worker placed too many condiments on her order.

Police said as the employee “dutifully prepared her sub,” Drouin began shouting that she was “putting too much s***” on the steak and cheese sandwich. The report said the suspect requested a refund for the food, but was denied, at which point she assaulted the sub maker by punching her in the face, before pushing “two large very heavy jars filled with pickles and pickle juice” towards the employee, causing them to smash on the ground, shattering into pieces.

According to police, Drouin fled the station, but the employee refused to let her get away. “The sub-maker, determined not to let Drouin escape justice, gave pursuit catching up to her on Hancock Street near Quincy City Hall and holding her until Transit [and] Quincy Police arrived,” according to the report. Droiun complained of neck injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Police say the suspect told them that the “whole incident began over ‘too many pickles.’”

You are reading that correctly. Lady ordering a sub! At a Nathan's Famous! In a T station! On the Red Line! Attacks the submaker when sandwich is not prepared expressly to her specifications. How many mistakes can you count: 1) Ordering a cheesesteak not in Philadelphia. 2) Ordering a sandwich from a place known for hot dogs. 3) Eating food from a restaurant in a subway station. (I am sure there is some place like Kyoto where the best ramen in the city is in a subway station, but this is Quincy Center.) Guiteau Monday keeps rolling along, and it's not even noon.