Dinner!

So, I took him to the boathouse, which was where he had taken me for our first real date. Good memories. Though we went to one that was closer to home, with the help of google maps. It was lovely as expected.

Now our waiter was a funny bloke. His face was... weird. Like something was out of place but I couldn't tell what. His name was Phillip, and he was funny yet professional. And he had an obvious accent. I thought he was a Pomme, Obi's like "No I bet he's Australian," my argument was that I wouldn't be able to hear it if he was an Australian. But, I was wrong. We noticed that he spoke exactly like me. Using all the terms and phrases I tend to use. It was weird but cool. It made me feel really good. Anywhoo later a couple sat behind Obi and asked Philip about his accent, and that's when we found out I was wrong. We didn't mention it, because I get sick of people asking me where I'm from, so I try not to do that to others.

First up, we ordered a share platter of seafood. It was an appy apparently for four people. There's no way 3-4 people could share it (it was called a tower, and it came on one of those three tiered dohickies), but it was perfect for two and we polished it off in short order. The oysters were great! and all mine because Obi is a weirdo, and so were the mussels, but I let him have all but one, because it was a fair trade. The tiger prawns were just right. The crab legs were good, but the butter was weird and took away from them a little. The lobster was... well.. not really worth the huge price I knew I was paying for it. I don't get what the big deal is with that AT ALL. But Obi tells me not to judge, because he's had lobster before and it was far better. Whatever. Moral of the story, don't get the lobster if you go to the boat house.

We were still hungry of course, but we weren't sure we were hungry enough to get a meal each. Still, we got Phillip to bring back the menu and give us a desert one too. We decided to share something, but neither of us are good with pressure. Obi got uncomfortable because I was treating him, and couldn't make a decision, but also wouldn't agree to my sugestions because he was out of his depth. The opposite happens all the time, so I knew to just be gentle with him. Phillip came back and we asked him a bunch of questions and decided that the thing we were looking out sounded horrible. Like, Phillip talked it up well, but we got the hint that "interesting taste experience" probably wasn't what we were after. Eventually I convinced Obi that the green curry mussels would be good, and Phillip backed me up, and we ordered a brownie to go with that. Yay. Crisis over.

Obi visibly relaxed and started having fun again at that point I'm kind of glad we're both socially awkward and get intimidated by this stuff. Anywhoo, a while later the food arrives at our table. I notice that our server doesn't bring our food this time, and figure he's having a break, but he swings by later to cheerily check in on us.

The mussels were delicious. Really really delicious. And fun to eat too. Really good for sharing. I know I'm weird, but I'd much rather eat off Obi's plate or share than have to tackle my own. And we're good at making sure we both get as much as we need. Now, the only thing that pissed me off the whole night was just before we were finished this other server comes up and asks us how it was, and we said it was really good etc, and he's like "Well it should be seeming you agonized over the decision so long!" he was so fking rude! Yes, it did take us a while, but then, every time we needed to ask something or order, we did have to wait for Phillip to come back, and we'd done so patiently.

Anyway, desert came and made our lives better again. Soooo good. You couldn't see the brownie for the whipped cream and ice cream. Someone else bought that too, but as Phillip swung by he commented about the huge pile of cream, using a distinctly Aussie phrase that cracked us both up. Obi's like "I bet he made it like that, just so he could come by later and make that comment," because at some restaurants the servers make the deserts, not the kitchen, "It's something I'd do," Obi admitted.

Phillip came around once we were done and made sure we're full, and we asked for the bill. I decided that my day would be perfect if this extravagant chunk of money came out of my Aussie savings rather than my actualy paycheck, because things are a little tight, and the guilt would be less that way. So, hoping that the commonwealth bank hadn't blocked my credit card again (they keep forgetting I'm in Canada) I put it in the little black book thingie, and then Phillip was back. Now, my credit card has "debit" written on it, which confuses a lot of poor Canadians, because it's a debit mastercard - something Canada has never heard of.
"Debit?" he asks
"Ignore that," I say, "Credit please."
Then he looks closer and points at the symbol of the commonwealth back in the top corner.
"Is this the commonwealth bank?" he stammers excitedly. I smiled. He asked where I was from and I told him Sydney. Apparently he's from Melbourne, and has been in Canada roughly the same length of time I have, but with no previous visits. He's desperately hoping for his first white Christmas.

Anyway he wishes us a good night and leaves me to sign. There's a little blank line where I get to write in my tip. I wonder if the server actually gets the tip or if it's split amongst them all if it's from a card. I thought of Luce and glared at the receipt. It did have Phillip's name on it. He had made our night much more pleasurable. He'd done his job really well. And he's an Aussie, I bet he is just as fascinated by this whole tipping thing as I am. It probably makes him feel really good if the novelty is still there. So I tipped him and a small part of my Australian soul died within me. Hahaha. Damn you Luce!

We then took a very short chilly walk over the docks, and drove home where we set up a pile of blankets under the Christmas tree, shared a bottle of sparkling wine that knocked Miriam right on her arse, said a bunch of sweet things to each other (including Obi repeatedly thanking me for a wonderful day, for all my effort and for being the best girlfriend in the world, hehe) and made sweet sweet love.

And that my friends was December the 4th 2010 and everything that happened there.