The Sweet Smell of Success

Roger Cohen of the New York Times wrote a comic piece in his Monday column about the bad manners of some restaurants. His dinner plate disappears before he has the chance to decide if he’s finished eating, making his dinner companions feel they must catch up. His wineglass is filled to the top at all times in an effort to sell another bottle. Mr. Cohen is offended by being pushed through revolving tables when his intent is to linger over his carefully chosen bottle and fine food. He makes the case that we should take a stand at the restaurant table, pour our own wine, refuse to give up our dinner plate.

But beyond the cheerless mechanics of bad restaurant service, Cohen laments not being allowed to take time to appreciate the finer things in life. The rat race has really sped up, and somehow we feel unproductive or unsuccessful if we aren’t running at a silly unmanageable pace. It’s something we should all be thinking about.

Try on this new measure of your success. Are you disconnected from the internet? Are you unreachable by phone? Have you made it through an entire day without urging your children to hurry up? Are you laughing with friends or stressing over your schedule? Have you allowed some time to sit back and take it all in?

Is your wineglass half full or half empty?

We’re all living in Fredericksburg because we prefer its slow, friendly vibe to that of nearby D.C. and Richmond. Let’s really take the time to enjoy our hometown this spring. Come join us at the wine bar. Take back your life!