“We analyzed the prices of 30 all-you-can-eat buffets across the country, taking into account a variety of factors: Geographic region, size of the buffet (independent vs. chain), time of day (lunch vs. dinner), day of the week (weekday vs. weekend), and age (children and seniors often get discounted rates).”
Old fogies the politically correct label “senior citizens” tend to not eat as much as younger folks. Thus the discount for them. Despite being an outstanding specimen that still arouses lustful desires in females as young as their 20s my adventures as an old fart in his 60s offers proof that elders do eat less. My input level is drastically less than it used to be. Less than half!!
Thus the huge decline in my buffet dining. Even with the discount the small amount I can shovel in does not make buffet dining a dollar-wise choice.
I will relate a buffet dining experience back in the 1980s when I could still consume copious quantities of vittles. I had heard that a Concord, California Chinese food all you can eat buffet had tasty food so, after work, having purposefully skipped lunch, I entered and peered at the troughs full of food. Looked good and smelled good so I checked the price and it seemed reasonable to me so the plate grabbing began.
Lots of variety so I sampled all the looked and smelled good. Doing that took three plates full of food. Follow-up trips grabbed the items I thought tastiest. It took two more plates to perform that function. With room in the tummy remaining I grabbed another plate and filled it full of my three most favored items. With a little room remaining a final trip took a small portion of my favored delights and I sat down to finish my venture.
That last plate triggered a reaction from the folks operating the place. I saw the gal who had been sitting behind the register walking in front of three Chinese males wearing the white garb of chefs and they were headed for me. Watching in wonderment the four folks stopped next to the booth I was sitting at and the three guys bowed a couple time with BIG smiles on their faces. Wondering what the heck was going on I asked the gal if they were mad at my eating so much but were displaying the typical Chinese politeness instead of the overt anger Westerners use.
The Chinese lass smiled and declared that they were far from angry. Nope. They were honored and pleased that a customer had eaten such an immense amount. I told her I was almost full and that this was the last plate. She stated that I was welcome to have more. Damn. I was as full as could be and my body would rebel if I tried but I was happy that I had made those guys so damn happy. I told the chefs/cooks how delicious it all was and was among the finest Chinese-style food I had eaten anywhere. And that was the truth!!! It was really good stuff. The gal translated my words and the guys jabbered among themselves and sent a few more bows my way before heading back to the kitchen.
Alas, that was then. Now… no way I could eat more than, perhaps, two plates at most before my body rebelled. A basic fact of life. Another alas. I have not found any Chinese food place in my area atop the Ozark Plateau that comes anywhere near the quality of that Concord, CA place. All I have now are ancient memories of quality Chinese-style food prepared in a succulent manner.
I Adore Food 