CHEESECAKE

Stop salivating!! I know that is a difficult proposition when the object in question is all cream, white and cherry red, dripping with whipped cream and ready to be eaten!!

I am talking of the Cheesecake Factory, a popular restaurant, what did you think??? The place was so crowded that we were handed little gadgets that beep and flash red lights when a table is ready. We chose to sit on the bar stools. I had a tough time finding a typical American meal on the menu. Half the menu was Mexican or hybrids of the same and I am heartily sick of Mexican food by this time. I finally found meatloaf and potatoes which I promptly ordered. This set us talking about American food and I discovered that the quintessential hamburger was not American. Per D, the watcher of the History Channel, it was discovered by an Italian who was riled that his meatballs took forever to cook. He slammed his spatula down on them and voila, the hamburger was born!!

More shocks, Santa Claus was the invention of Coca Cola. Of course, Saint Nick did exist. He was a rich Russian who used to hand out gifts to his less fortunate brethren. But the rolly-polly red- suited gentleman who embodies the spirit of Christmas was the result of an advertising blitzkerig. Why red? To match the color of coke, of course. I don’t know how many of my illusions are going to be razed to the ground before I leave this country. I know I am too old to believe in Santa Claus, but this was too much to digest.

Talking of digestion, we decided to walk around the Fashion Valley mall to aid the process. I saw this cute electric scooter that the security guard was using. It has two wheels and a handle to hold on to. Something right out of a sci-fi movie. It is supposed to be amazingly stable and easy to maneuver. You wouldn’t think it if you could see it. It looks like a stick balanced between two wheels. Only two people have the dubious distinction of ever having fallen off of one. President Bush and Paris Hilton. Go figure.

Another piece of wisdom bestowed on me by D. If you can only see the make up and not the girl, then she has on too much makeup. Now guys are beginning to figure out this makeup business? Where was I when this revolution was happening? I seem to know less about make up than the average guy!! Jeez… Talking of guys and make up, MAC’s, the upscale makeup store has at least two guys who wear it, and these guys are SERIOUSLY cute………. Yeah I know, they could be gay, but what the heck, a gal is allowed at least a few illusions right?

I also spotted this painfully young, bespectacled figure looking completely lost and lonely. He was making circles on the floor with the toe of his shoe, rather like a young Indian gal with the tea tray in hand, during the girl-seeing ceremony.(I watch too many movies.) I was sorely tempted to walk up to him and say, “Hey Sunil, how are you doing?” Just to see how he would react. Why Sunil, you might well ask. Because he looked Sunilish, why else? Better sense prevailed though, just in the nick of time. I walked past and got into the line for movie tickets, a regular Miss Goody Two Shoes if there ever was one.