Come again?

For lunch after church yesterday morning, the Euphrony family went to a hibachi grill to appease Mrs. E's craving for fried rice. For those of you not familiar with eating at hibachi grills, the tables all seat around eight people in a semi-circle around the grill where the chef cooks your food. This means that for a party of three (as is our family) you get to share the table with complete strangers. And some are stranger than others. Our table was shared by three old ladies on one side and, sitting by Lil'E, a late-teen/early twenties girl and and a middle-aged woman with her (never got clarified if they were mother/daughter or not).

Upon sitting down, I hear bits of their conversation . . . "and she doesn't like air-brushing . . . no, I mean make up . . . blah blah blah . . . ". And then they notice Lil'E and her Big Sister Dora doll she brought into the restaurant. The younger girl thinks Lil'E is adorable and starts talking to her, so of course Lil'E recruits her into playing dolls. She asks what the dolls name is and her older companion replies:

Older lady: "That's Dora! Don't you watch any cartoons anymore?"

Younger lady: "No, I don't. I never heard of Dora."

Older Lady: "Yeah, Dora is a good one. She helps kids learn Spanish. It's one of my cougar's favorites."

Me: (choking on fried rice, answering Mrs. E's query) "Yes, she did say 'cougar'."

Older lady: "Yes, I have a cougar, like the University of Houston mascot. He sits in his cage and watches cartoons a lot. Oh, I know he's a wild animal and that he's dangerous. But he's pretty good."

Like I said, some are stranger than others.

Tags: Hibachi, Strangers, Cougar, Bizarre