Byzantine Arrogance is alive and well!

Greetings folks,

This is my first posting to this site and so it is with a heavy heart that I open things up with a rant. But I feel that the rant is justified and the encounter had a positive outcome, so I'm compelled to share it here. As I hold no ill-will against the culture or the establishment, I will refrain from naming any names. But all purveyors of fine Byzantine cuisine in Jefferson City, MO are sure to know which place I'm talking about.

As I was waiting to pick-up a coworker for the nighty trek to work, I was overcame with a deep seated craving for shwarma. That delicious Lebanese spiced meat sandwich...a staple of middle-eastern cuisine and european sandwich carts everywhere! And it just so happened that 's Greek restaurant was right across the street. So compelled for the succulent spiced deliciousness of my favorite Lebanese faire, I stopped in.

It was a very traditional feeling Greek place. Clean lines, adequate foilage spilling from ceiling planters, Beach Boys and Rolling Stones music playing in the background. Vert reminiscent of Pinocchio's in Ft Lauderdale. I was excited! Bring on the shwarma!

I was seated by an ethnic owner/operator graciously. Then without even looking at the menu I made my desires known. "I'd like a lamb shwarma and fries please." The shift in the face of the server was instantaneous and she went from being a pleasant, friendly face to someone that obviously was very offended by my request.

Her reply came harsh and curtly "We don't serve shwarma here." The roll of the SH into the R was especially virulent and vulgar sounding in her thick accent. And that's when I realized that I was in traditional Byzantine restaurant...the roots of Greek culture suddenly became very visible and I realized my unintentional folley. I tried to apologize but the disdain on the server's face was already set in stone.

Feeling guilty I picked up the menu and sheepishly ordered the gyro plate with brown rice and a half-order of spinach pie.

The waitress came back 10 minutes later and practically slammed the plate of delicious looking lamb/onions/pita/feta down and stormed off back to her counter. Attached is a picture of the dish. It was fantastic!

On my way out of the restaurant, I talked to the server and again apologized for offending her. She softened a little bit when she realized that behind the beard and the general middle-eastern appearance that I was just a regular white kid looking for some shwarma. We struck up a brief conversation, in which she explained the current cultural struggles between the New Greeks and the Old Greeks. It was fascinating to hear an Old Greek open up and discuss such a personally and culturally relevant topic.

Walking away from the experience I feel like a part of my cultural awareness evolved a little bit. And hopefully the next time that I go strutting into a Greek restaurant I can be a little more sensitive to the cultural issues riding among the undercurrent of the proprietorship.

But also, it was refreshing to know, that there are still those among our species that holdfast to the important of cultural relevance. And so it's more with a smile and a laugh that I say "Byzantine arrogance is alive and well!"

Total bill - $16.57. Tip - $5.00