Late Night Snacks
I’m woozily standing at the counter at my local chip shop, ordering a veggie burger and chips. A man comes up on my left, shaking the hand of the proprietor, greeting him with a Salaam Aleikum. The two girls sitting down waiting for their order come up as the proprietor stacks them up into two bags. It makes me slightly ill to watch the bloated one pay for 4 chicken burgers, two beef burgers and 4 hot wings. Who knows, maybe she’s feeding a family. Ugh, I don’t want to know.
The guy behind the counter takes a big bit of battered chicken and hands it directly to the guy who’s just come up. “Do me a favour,” he says, gesturing to the man. He takes the chicken and walks out to the door where his giant bulldog waits patiently, scaring the two girls who are on their way out. I turn away, the combined thought of the girls’ order and the dog’s chicken meal hardening my arteries to the point where my relatively tame meal (though still suitably deep fried) just feels pointless.
I end up eating it, though, sat at the kitchen table. Now, sleep. Glorious sleep.