I Found My Noodle!

So there we were, driving to a dental appointment on a cold January afternoon when my ten year old son and I shrieked in joyous unison!

There before us, in all its majestic glory, we saw the “sign” we had been waiting so long to see.

We saw the increased traffic flow and all the happy people going inside and all the satisfied people coming back out. New life had been breathed into a dead and empty building. THE NEW “NOODLES AND CO” RESTAURANT WAS FINALLY OPEN! It was their GRAND opening, in fact!

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, “Noodles” is our favorite place to eat and as you may surmise by the name, their menu is centered around Noodles, the ULTIMATE comfort food.

We could scarcely wait for the dentist to finish cleaning my son’s teeth. We wasted no time filling the complimentary baggie with toys from the treasure chest after my son’s appointment. Small talk at the check-out desk consisted of a very fast “hey-how-ya-doin’-do-I-owe-you-anything-today-no?-great-thanks-bye!” We moved SO fast past that desk that I am certain I saw the resulting “breeze” run its fingers through the hair of the lady sitting there.

Unintentionally reminiscent of the The Three Stooges (Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!), my son and I made haste to the exit and attempted to squeeze through the door side by side. Have you ever tried to squeeze through a door side by side with someone else? It’s like trying fit both hands into one glove…it doesn’t work and it’s very uncomfortable.

After a few awkward moments, we popped through that exit like a champagne cork pops out of its bottle (you can HEAR the sound that makes, right?). I am certain we broke all land-speed records running to our car. (YES! We are PASSIONATE about Noodles.)

Piling into the car and giggling in hysterical anticipation, the “click” of our seatbelts snapped us back into the horror of reality: My son had been given a fluoride treatment and we had to wait a whole agonizing 30 minutes before he could eat. I admit I did consider for a brief instant whether his dental health was worth the wait. In the end I managed to exercise self-control. But what to do with 30 minutes to kill, knowing that bowls full of steaming hot noodles slathered in cheesy goodness were waiting just for ME? I’ll tell you what we did.

We circled that restaurant in our car like a shark getting wound up for a feeding frenzy.

Finally, the 30-minute ban on consumption expired and we went into the temple, er…restaurant. Everyone was so friendly. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. It was like…(I think I’m tearing up)…coming home.

Having placed our orders and gotten our beverages, we sat down at our table for two and anxiously awaited delivery of our Wisconsin Mac-n-Cheese.

A young server with a sweet disposition catered our table a few moments later. He seemed genuinely happy to see us and wanted to chat just a moment before transferring our bowls from his tray to the table. In all reality, he probably talked less than 30 seconds, but when the palate is anticipating warm cheddar, 30 seconds is an eternity.

As the beast of anticipation arose within me, I could almost feel my knuckles growing wild hair. I gained understanding of why my Labrador Retriever salivates when she smells food. I think my nostrils may even have expanded! Just as I was about to bellow forth with an otherworldly voice “SON JUST PUT DOWN THE FOOD AND BACK SLOWLY AWAY,” he served us and I managed to stretch my twitching lips into a thin smile of gratitude.

My son and I let go with a simultaneous “ooooooh” and then plowed through those noodles like it was our job.

A manager stopped by to ask whether we were enjoying our food. He wanted to know if we had tried the Chinese hot sauce that had been placed on the table for our convenience. After I conveyed my delight with the stuff, he offered to hook me up. Could anybody REALLY be this generous? AND FRIENDLY? Was this a legit offer or was this a covert Chinese Hot Sauce sting operation? Would I be arrested if I accepted the offer? Would I develop a lifelong addiction? I finally came to my senses and decided I was on a noodle high and maybe it was just the cheese talking. I thanked him and went back to my bowl.

Why is it that you never see people you know in public until you’re face-down in the trough, cheese stuck on the corners of your mouth, one sock up and the other down around your ankle – which is exposed, by the way because your pants leg decided to rise up on that side ONLY – and your hair looking like it is reaching toward heaven in spontaneous praise of God? And why IS it that when this happens, the person you see is herself dressed immaculately and professionally?? Oh well. I am betting by the time she left Noodles, she was in no better shape than me.

So do me a favor. Next time we see each other out and about, if you’ll promise not to draw attention to the cheese stuck on my face and the stray, drying macaroni noodle stuck to my shirt….I won’t draw attention to yours.

Bon appetit!

1 Thessalonians 5:8 - ….let us be self-controlled….

1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.