I just want everyone to know: I am NOT a vegetarian, I am a librarian.

Here is my side of our (D, Smurf & BamaBeau) trip to the One World Café.

Saturday night BamaBeau, Smurf, and D and I were all hanging out, you know, talking and just enjoying each others company. We got on the subject of what we were going to do since we had it Monday off. BamaBeau came up with the idea of going to Salt Lake. We were all excited about the idea, and wondered what we wanted to do. BamaBeau then excitedly told us about this wonderful hippy-like restaurant that he loved and said we would all love it too. To be perfectly honest he was so excited and talking so fast I didn’t know what he was saying, but when I heard the words vegetarian and hippy. I was scared. That’s when I spoke up, I said, “wait, did you just say vegetarian?”

“Yes, doesn’t it sound wonderful, Wiggle?”

“No. I like meat”

“Oh, don’t worry they have chicken.”

With that being said, I thought as long as they had some sort of meat I will be fine. BamaBeau went on to describe this “wonderful” place, while deep inside I was worried.

Sunday came and went and before I knew it we were all packed in my car heading our way to Salt Lake City. BamaBeau told me to go ahead and park, and we could walk to rest of the way. So we were all walking, I was still nervous, but BamaBeau excitement had absorbed into me. Finally, I heard BamaBeau said earnestly “there it is!!” My heart sank. There we stood outside an old building that blended so well with the other buildings it didn’t even look like a restaurant; in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if used to a thrift store. A sloppy painted, old wooden sign was propped up on the sidewalk that said, “One World Café”. The windows had sweat on them. Right then I knew that what my friend had described was nothing I had imagined.

Really concerned about the sweaty windows we walked in and the smell was horrible. I got a sick feeling in my stomach, and knew that judging by the smell, look and feel of the place it was hazardous to my health. As I turned to BamaBeau to insist on going else where to eat, I caught the look in his eyes; he was like a little boy at Christmas time, eager to open all of his presents. I hadn’t the heart to tell him that it wasn’t Christmas, and none of those presents were for him. I decided to make the best of it, I will get lots of chicken and salad and it will be great.

Just so everyone who is reading this knows, I really, really did try as hard as I could to like it. My insides squirmed when the server ran out of salad, and he pull out a trash bag and slapped some more of it in to the serving bowl, I asked for some of that because I was afraid where the other stuff came from; and if I got sick I would know it was because that salad had been in a trash bag. I looked down ahead to see if there was chicken like BamaBeau promised, and noticing big sliver pot I just knew it was there, for me to devour (although, it probably had e-coli or something). I thought I would make an effort and eat something I didn’t know about, after all BamaBeau tried liked, it must be good, right? Having finally reached the silver pots at the end of the serving line I hungrily looked inside, and do you know what they didn’t have in them? Chicken! Sad and disappointed I settled with some questionable looking sausage sauce.

We ended up sitting in a secluded room on squatty chairs around a little table, which I kind of liked, but would have loved if it was cleaner. While we were eating the employees would keep coming in and going behind a current and changing. In one instant a women went to change and came out a man.

Admittedly, I have never known any real hippies, I don’t know much about vegan food, organic food or whatever the crap they were serving us. So if you are a vegan or hippy or a vegetarian please know I applaud you for having the stomach to eat this kind of food. I, however, am not use to it. Let me tell you my friends, the food had no salt or seasoning in it whatsoever, its texture was nauseating and I truly don’t think that was real sausage. With hope that the salad would suffice me until I go some real food inside me, I took a bit. That was a mistake. It wasn’t salad at all!! In fact all it contained was welted leafs with plain vinegar!! Puke! Bluah! So there I sat practically on the ground with a plate full of foul food while Smurf and BamaBeau tell me that the hippies don’t like others to waste food. All I wanted was some chicken. What a horrible place! I pointed out to BamaBeau that there was no chicken, he then said, “Well, the menu does change sometime.” It would have been nice to know to that, hello!

Thank goodness my roommate D was having the same feelings as I was. When we finally got out of the One World Café, D and I went to go get some real food.

That is my side of what went down in the One World Café. Am I glad I went to Salt Lake with my friends? Yes. Am I sad I went to the One World Café? You bettcha. Do I still consider BamaBeau a friend? Well… of course. Will I think twice before going to a place he thinks is “wonderful”? I’d be stupid not to.