around 20+ years ago, when we were not yet married, we used to pass by this fancy Chinese restaurant by the name of Lings Pavilion while walking around town. Just out of school we were on our first jobs making little to almost negligible monthly salaries. We didn’t really have the courage to go in and eat at that place.
I have always been the risk taking, let’s go jump off the cliff and see where we land sort of person, and Sonali has always been the “yes lets, whatever happens we’re in it together” sort of person. So one of those many walk pasts I said lets go in. And of course we went in and we were seated. It was a truly beatific place from the inside, the round doors didn’t even begin to explain the exotic nature of the place.
Finally a liveried butler turns up to take the orders from two starry eyed, almost pimply, almost teenagers, with almost no money in the bank and definitely very little in their pockets… We disengaged from the making out session, sat up and after much thought asked for a Chicken clear soup one by two. The slightly older captain seemed visibly jolted and after much thought he cleared his throat and stated we don’t do that here Sir. Of course they don’t do that here but still just to be clear I asked him “do what?” I was thinking maybe he meant “holding hands”, I mean I could maybe hold her hand under the table cloth in that case but wth that’s just mean… he clarified we don’t do one by two… I was a much calmer person back then, I confirmed with Sonali, I did not fight I did not create a scene, we just got a single soup and shared it anyway :D… We got married a few months later (no Lings Pavilion did not cater for the wedding, no we still did not have the rokdo to get them to do that and no they did not have any magic worked into their food that caused our wedding… though on that last one I wouldn’t know now would I??)
Today around 20 years later, and after having been married for exactly 20 of those 20 years we went out for a lunch, just the two of us (tricked the kids into thinking we were going to a strip club so they couldn’t join us there)… I knew what we wanted… chicken clear soup, one by two
alas these buggers at Fairfield by Marriot didn’t have chicken clear soup!!! but what the heck when have we let such small things come in the way of having a good time… We went with the Manchow without any chillies and the chef was absolutely on point… there were no chillies!!! and yes they do do one by two… never got around to being able to finish a full One soup, it always has to be one by two…