SMORSGASBORG

Last night we dined at church where we had another fine meal for $6.00 per person. The fare was the following: pork chops, grilled chicken, mixed vegetables, green peas, mac and cheese, hot rolls, and cherry cobbler for dessert. That was the main table; there was also a salad bar, baked potato bar, pizza, hot dogs, and a sugarless dessert. This menu is typical of what we are offered each Wednesday night, and it is usually very good.

What I like to do in any situation where there is a large selection of food is to take a little bit of several items, test them out, and then go back and get what I liked best. If I had done that last night, I would have gone back and gotten more macaroni – it was made from scratch and delicious.

Also, when I eat meals like this I am often reminded of what my mother used to advise us girls about dating. Go out with different boys, learn what you like about each one, and then when you find one who has the qualities that are important to you, grab him. That’s a loose paraphrase of what she once told me. So I began my somewhat unconscious list.

First, I desired someone who would “amount to something.” (Those were mother’s words although it was usually said negatively, “he won’t amount to a thing.”) This translated in my mind into a boy who had ambition and a good work ethic.

A close second to that was intelligence. I was always drawn to guys who were really bright, especially when I began considering them as eligible husbands.

Then they also had to be dependable. I knew plenty of males who had the above qualities who weren’t necessarily very responsible individuals.

It’s great to have a list like this, and several times I went out with guys who fit the bill. What I was leaving out, however, was my “heart” or that certain “chemistry” that had to be involved when it’s really “true love.”

So when I first laid eyes on the genius at the frat house, it was my heart that he captured. The fact that he all the other qualifications was just icing on the cake. And also, what girl could resist such a handsome fellow who played the piano?