PWAC Victoria: Dave Preston, Writing Sample

The Reading Room

Weighting for Godot: A One-Lunch Play

by Dave Preston © 1997

A restaurant review with a twist, from Dave Preston's Fare Comment column in Monday Magazine, April 10-16, 1997.

The Time:
A recent Tuesday lunch hour.

The Cast:
Charles, a 50-year-old playwright and writing instructor.
Sid, a nearing 50-year-old playwriting student.
Dave, a nowhere-near 50-year-old writer.
A Waitress.

There will be a four-hour intermission after the performance during which the cast will go back to work.

The action takes place in The Vietnam Garden, a small restaurant in a plaza at an intersection, a few blocks east of downtown Victoria. The three men, casually dressed, enter the restaurant late in the lunch hour after arguing about where to go. They stand in the entrance waiting to be seated.

Charles: I been here about five times maybe, it's pretty good.

Sid: My doctor just told me I gotta lose weight. How much do you weigh, Dave?

Dave: One seventy-eight. Used to be one seventy for years.

Charles: Me too. Life's like that. But then so's fat.

Sid: Bugger. I'm one eighty-nine, you think that's overweight? I don't think that's overweight. I mean I'm five foot ten, least I was. Doctor says I'm now five eight and a half. You think that's overweight?

Charles: You should get a second opinion.

Dave: You're overweight.

Charles: There ya go, let's eat. (A waitress welcomes them and leads them into the dining area.) You should see the menu here, all kinds of stuff.

They sit in three black chairs in the non-smoking section of the square room, at a table covered in a deep pink cloth, topped with glass. Above them the ceiling tiles are stained from a recent roof leak and there are silk flowers around the room, in between three or four real plants.
A large, modern brass sculpture of a sailing ship hangs from one wall, near a clock of similar construction. A bar and kitchen entrance run down the adjacent wall, the two other walls are huge glass windows. Four other diners are at various stages of their meals. The Waitress goes to the kitchen and returns a few moments later.

Sid: You gotta try the soup here, it's called phong and it's big. Real big soup. It's a meal in itself, all you need for lunch, no need to pig out. Charles, you should have the soup, it's great.

Charles: Okay, sure. The soup sounds good.

Dave: My treat, guys, I'm paying.

Sid: Wow, right, I'll have the soup, then, with the rare beef, followed by Combination Meal B, the shrimp supreme, spring rolls and all that. Look at the size of this menu, over a hundred items, you seen it? There's six combo meals, A, B, C, then another three at the back, see? All the same price, $8.95. Did you notice the fish in the tank as we came in? I'll have one of these fruit shakes, look there's a page full. They gotta be healthy, eh?

Charles: Yeah, I'll pass on the soup, I'll have the salad roll with pork and shrimps and a number 14, the rice and egg noodles with chicken and seafood in broth, please. And a fruit shake drink, like his. Thanks.

Dave: Oh, right. I'll have the pho tai chin, please, rice noodle soup with well-done beef soup, followed by, er . . . what do you recommend?

Waitress: Our most popular combo is C, the spring rolls, barbecued minced pork balls, beef brochette, salad roll, and that comes with rice vermicelli, Vietnamese pickles and hoisin and nuoc mam sauces for dipping. We sell a lot of those.

Dave: Okay, you can sell a lot of one to me, and just water to drink, thanks.

The Waitress exits.

Dave: The guy that owns this place is Peter Quan. He came from China and spent 32 years cooking for B.C. Ferries before retiring about five years ago. Seems he got bored with retirement, says he needed something else to cook, so he bought this restaurant a year later. He shares kitchen duties with his wife, Nancy. They kept the menu more or less the same as it was. Care to guess what's the most popular dish?

Sid: Soup, gotta be. It's big. It's great. You shoulda had soup, Charles. Wonder how many calories it has . . .

Dave: Yeah, the beef noodle soup, phong, which is pronounced "fir" by Mr. Quan. The combination meals B and C are also a big hit with regulars here. They get a lot of South Asian folks come by who love the place, and even some tourists in summer.

Sid: Hey, see up there, behind you? (He points to a contraption with three huge lenses in the ceiling, and a roll-away screen above the window.)

Dave: Karaoke. They often use it on Saturday nights, if the crowd wants it. They have to reach some kind of consensus because once it's fired up there's not much peace left for quiet romantic dining.

The Waitress makes three visits and fills the table with food. It looks and smells delicious. Very soon after, it also tastes delicious.

Charles: Here, try some of this, hot sauce. There's all kinds of condiments here. Two soys, two hots, salt, pepper, vinegar, all kinds . . .

Sid: They fattening? Yeah, love the hot sauce, watch out, that one's really hot. Pass some of the regular soy sauce, too. Thanks.

Dave: This is good, the Spiracha Hot Chili Sauce, goes well in the soup. And this black one's got a hint of liquorice, or aniseed. Want some on your sprouts, Charles?

The three eat and agree that the food is good. Conversation is pulled over to Sid's play script, which is passed around, and at this stage, isn't so good. They each struggle to finish their servings, but Sid gives up and asks for a doggie bag for the remains of his combination dish. His script is now stained with soy sauce and lots of blue ballpoint marks. Dave pays the bill of $43.44, adds a tip, and they get up to leave.

Sid: So, whad'ya think?

Charles: Great, yeah. I enjoyed it, lots of good stuff.

Dave: Me too. Loved it.

Sid: Thanks, guys, I might just rework the opening scene, though.

Charles: Hah! We meant the restaurant.

Sid: Y'know Charles, you should see a doctor. You, too, Dave. I think you're both getting a little overweight.

CURTAIN

The Vietnam Garden Restaurant
1515 Cook Street (at Pandora)
384-3033
11 a.m. - 10 p.m. every day

Dave Preston
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Last updated: April 19, 1997 http://www.islandnet.com/pwacvic/presto06.html