Patronizing an Eating Establishment Even Though I Disagree With the Beliefs of Management

Three generations of Reece's and two generations of Strobel's have quickly adapted to life on the beach at Orange Beach, Alabama. Though I had heard talk of a "dead zone" in the Gulf after the BP oil spill, life around here - both in and out of the water - is anything but dead. When I asked one local how the oil spill had affected Orange Beach he said "not much, but we took the settlement money just the same."

The ocean is anything but dead where we are staying. Dolphins make a morning and evening foray along the shoreline in front of our balcony.  Schools of fish can often be seen surfacing.   While I was standing chest-deep in the ocean 18-inch-long fish occasionally launched themselves into the air within a few feet of me, while smaller fish circled my body nibbling sunscreen off my body. It is a brave man who would dare to skinny-dip in these waters.

Business also seems to be good. We arranged to meet some friends at a popular restaurant named Lulu's in Gulf Shores. As we arrived and waited in a line of cars to get into the parking lot an attendant spoke to the driver of each car in line. When we reached the attendant he said "Hi, folks.  Lulu's currently has a 2 1/2 hour wait time. Management has asked that you leave and come back some other day."   If this is a dead zone I feel certain that business's back in Jefferson City would quickly welcome that designation as well.

Trying Exotic Restaurants on Vacation

After traveling 20 minutes to Lulu's and then 20 minutes further to a place called Floribama where we discovered that kids had to leave before 8:30 pm, we finally ended up having dinner at a Subway across the street from our condo.
 

For dessert we went to Yogurt Plus, where I am now on a first name basis with the staff.  Unfortunately, our visit to Yogurt Plus ended in controversy.   After a lively discussion on the prospects of the Kansas City Chiefs for the upcoming season, we stood to leave. As we did, the owner approached us.

"Excuse me" he said. "Did I overhear you saying that Tim Tebow is a good quarterback?"

My wife, no stranger to controversy, responded quickly with  "We love Tim Tebow!"

"Have you checked his quarterback rating?" asked the owner, a rabid Alabama fan. "It's the worst in the NFL!"

 It was starting to get ugly.

"Yeah, well, what about quarterback Brodie Croyle? The Chiefs drafted him out of Alabama and he never won a single game! It may not be pretty, but at least Tim Tebow wins games," I countered.

It was a stalemate.

We agreed to disagree on the merits of Tim Tebow.    Regarding Brodie Croyle, the best the owner could come up with was "Brodie Croyle was at Alabama before Nick Saban",  like that excused Croyle's dismal performance with the Chiefs.

I will be back at Yogurt Plus tonight.   I may disagree with the beliefs of management, but I respect their right to their own stupid opinion.   I  also refuse to let that supersede my grudging appreciation for, and continued purchase of, their Honolulu Coconut yogurt.