On Indulgences: Part 3

As I mentioned in an earlier piece, I recently attended the regional assembly for the denomination of my youth. This was held on the campus of a university associated with the church denomination. The promised coffee cake and pastries didn't arrive in the morning. Instead, servers were setting out pieces of cake from the previous night's gathering, along with coffee and tea. Regardless of how much I enjoy the sheet cakes they sell in the stores (with all the buttercream frosting), I resisted the impulse to eat a second piece. But I was still hungry after my "breakfast," so I had a few candies and chocolates from the various presentation tables outside the sanctuary.

After the morning service/meeting, we headed over to the cafeteria. While the kitchen offered a wide variety of entries, they were arrayed at various, separate, stations. The kitchen was only open for an hour, and suddenly they had hundreds of people pouring in. So we had to make selections quickly, getting into the right line, etc, and grab what seemed most appealing. I opted for a plate of salad, a hamburger, and a couple big cookies. As it turned out, I couldn't eat the cookies. I was too full.

After the afternoon session, we had more of a break before dinner. But again, we had to wait until the kitchen opened. By the time it did, a long line had formed. So it was more crowded than before, and what we wanted was substituted for what we could get without waiting in too long a line. So I ended up with a gyro, and another salad. 

I had selected a brownie with cream cheese frosting. While we ate, my wife, who had selected a piece of chocolate cake, suggested that I save the brownie for later, and have the cake with ice cream. Well, ice cream always sounds good to me.

There's something about eating in such one-price-for-everything places that induces an "I've got to get my money's worth," mentality. That's the only way I can explain my madness. I mean, two plates full of food, and then a full bowl of cake and ice cream. And then, because I hadn't yet tried the chocolate ice cream, I went back for a bowl of that.

I had a great time in the dining hall at the denomination gallery, but man, was I stuffed afterward!

Dragon Dave