Downtown Deli

Restaurant Jargon

I don’t remember who accompanied me but I remember lunch time in a Los Angeles deli and a waitress with wide hips who could barely maneuver herself around the tables.  I ordered a Reuben sandwich and my friend did the same.  The waitress bellowed out, “Two’s a pair!” and my friend and I laughed.  It was so delightfully spontaneous and fresh and an unmistakable communication with the chef.  I made a mental note of it and think someday I might insert it into a short story.  After all, the phrase has been composting for over 30 years.