I already mentioned the comfortable chairs. Did I say the area was quiet as a library? People were kicked back, feet up on the coffee tables, reading newspapers and books, all of them, according to Timothy, calmly waiting for their flights.
As we entered the rooms — yes, more than one room — we saw a huge buffet with silver capped dishes and platters of everything imaginable. Servers were supplying the empties with fresh, hot food. There was a section full of sliced meats, a different area with fish dishes, and every vegetable you could image, plus fancy breads and crackers with cheeses. Over at the end, there were salads, not just the green kind, but potato salad, carrot salad, macaroni salad, and salads I really couldn’t name. (Terry later praised the crab salad, but if you ask me that sounded icky.)
Before grabbing a plate, Timothy and I, plus the others, had all done a tour of the offerings. We discovered a table full of caldrons of soups and stews. Another section held desserts, including soft serve ice cream. There was a beverage section with a choice of fruit juices or bottled drinks. Even champagne and wines were being offered! A chef stood ready to cook up omelets and offered to make pancakes or waffles for us.
The most difficult thing was deciding what to eat! Timothy and I hadn’t done more than taste a few things at our wedding buffet. We’d only nibbled at the cake Clara and Sammy brought us, or was it Simone? My mind seemed rather hazy about such details.
The guys started in on their selections, grabbing up plates as if they were starving. I passed the long lines of exotics and the platters of meat, potatoes, and salads, and headed for the chef where I put in a request for a cheese omelet with some pancakes on the side. When the white capped, uniformed man showed me the toppings provided for the pancakes (whipped cream, six different syrups, fresh fruits and compotes, and honey butter, there was no difficulty choosing. I am definitely a honey enthusiast.
Timothy decided on lasagna and told me he was going to fill his plate with a variety of other goodies, but he first walked me to the area we’d claimed, sat me down beside Ben and Daniel, who’d already chosen their choices, although their plates seemed rather sparsely filled. Of course that didn’t really matter since I’d been told that this was the kind of place where there were unlimited go backs, and each time a person returned to the buffet, he or she received a shiny, clean plate.
My omelet was delectable, but I had little room for the pancakes. Besides, when Bob came over and sat down with us, he reminded me that I’d be on a plane in a couple of hours and he didn’t want me to vomit on the seat in front of him.
I didn’t know whether to throw something at Bob or thank him for the reminder. Not saying anything, I pretended to ignore him and took another bite. However, I decided that honeyed pancakes weren’t really that great of an idea for free flight eating, so I only took one more bite and quit.
By the time Timothy came over with his heaping plate full of salad dressing running into his meaty lasagna, I’d already pushed my plate away and was limiting myself to drinking coffee.