Tag Archives: restaurant

The Buddha Wearing A Santa Hat — Such A Riot That You Could Just About Excuse It Being Sacrilegious.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 19, 2022

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Click to ENLARGE. I took this picture this afternoon in Rochester, N.H.

What can I say?

It is beyond inappropriate. It is sacrilegious.

I saw this at a Chinese restaurant (which will go nameless the protect the guilty) in Rochester, New Hampshire, when I stopped by to order some takeout.

Chinese restaurants tend to be the worst when it comes to desecrating images of the Buddha — mainly because so many feel obligated to have images of the Buddha to somehow justify their Chinese authenticity.

The staff, at this restaurant, is 99.9% American — & local to boot. They have no appreciation as to what the image is about or who the Buddha was. They were tasked with decorating the place for Christmas & they, obviously, thought that this was cute. Alas.

Just for the record the Buddha predates Christianity by about 2,500 years!

So, he could not have been Santa. SMILE.

What can I say?

I just wish Buddhists, & I have not been a Buddhist for 50-years, would try to rectify some of this inappropriateness.

$16,000 Tip (On A $38 Bill) Left To A Bartender At A New Hampshire Restaurant (Earlier This Month).

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by Anura Guruge
on June 28, 2021

Click image to access this coverage. See ‘Google News’ below for more …

The Restaurant

Click image to access their Facebook page. They also have a fancy Website.
Click to ENLARGE. The ‘Google News’ coverage.

A great, heartwarming story. That it was in New Hampshire made it even more special for I (since I live in New Hampshire).

I have not visited this restaurant or even heard of it. I can, actually, never be sure whether I have ever been through ‘Londonderry’ per se in the 36-years I have lived here. It is a place that I drive past I-93. But, that is immaterial.

This was quite the gesture. But, I don’t think it panned out the way the generous patron expected it to do so. In the end, the female bartender, extremely generously (though I am sure management had some say in it) ended up splitting the $16,000 among 10 (or 12) co-workers. So, they each got about $1,000 — & I think this goes down as taxable income.

But, still nice.

Contrary to the media reports the patron was not ‘anonymous‘. He was NOT a regular. Big, difference. He paid by credit card. So there was a name (& the restaurant management made sure that the credit charge was bona fide).

This is good. I like it. I would love to do this. I am known to tip generously, BUT never even close to this level. One thing I try to do, however, is tip in cash. That way the server gets to keep all of it (if they so wish). I still put 15%+ on the card (& receipt) & then tip the server in cash separately. That way management does not inquire as to whether they go tipped in cash.

But, this is all good.