Pasta Reunion

The Olive Garden is a national chain of Italian Restaurants. Originated by General Mills, the Minnesota-based conglomerate, it was created as a complement to its Red Lobster Restaurants. It is always a bit of a schizophrenic experience for me. The decor is sort of a film-set Italian villa, with high-quality authentic photos of Italian life adorning the walls. The food is, well, how can I say this? Comfortable? Predictable? Uninspired? Tastes as if it was developed in a food laboratory, by a committee? I've never had a meal there that I've really enjoyed; I've had some that were truly inedible. But the menu is varied, and my peculiar tastes shouldn't detract from the enjoyment of others. I was there Saturday night, with the Weaver and her siblings, in some sort of ritualistic pasta reunion. One of the sisters was showing off her texting prowess to her daughter in Oregon. I'm so out of it I haven't even mastered calling someone on a cell phone! I told her to text "Flippism Is The Key", we'll see if her daughter gets the message.