The article is about the birthday of Aunt Elaine, who was turning fifty and the entire family decided to go out for a dinner to celebrate the birthday by having a dinner at the favorite place of the Aunt called Hometown Buffet or rather the Smorgy place. There was also a party that was held at home where everybody played music.
The writer was excited by the smorgasbord meal that was served, but his age could not provide him with the convenience. Twenty one guests availed themselves to the birthday dinner which was dubbed a land of plenty because of the mass-produced cuisine. The meal served for the dinner was marvelous. The writer attested that the meal was schizophrenic because it was the incongruous mix of flavors, and because it was impossible to enjoy.
The writer juxtaposed the meals with a chat he had with a friend where he described his life as a massive or huge menu that provides no simpler plate where he has been afraid of ordering one thing due to the fear of getting filled up but not having enjoyed the test of all others. The writer concluded that there is no enough time for even a fraction of individual experiences in the world and every hour should be lived worthily, and it is not enough to sit down and just wonder.
An individual should choose his favorite way of life from all the possibilities that life offers. Though the choices to be made have to be sufficiently varied, they should be compatible, they should be enjoyed and experienced. An individual should select a choice for the menu, establish whether they go out together and then commit to them. In life, there is always a chance for rebirth or reincarnation, the writer concluded.
Essay on the Article
The article described the scenario of having to make choices in life. The writer used the comparison of the meal menu in explaining about making choices in life. Important choices are made based on the various alternatives available. Choices in life are varied and compatible, and one should have the experience of the choices before making the decisions.
Life offers a menu for decisions, and it is upon an individual to make choices from the varied menu and select the one that fits him/her based on how she or he enjoys it and how she or he will go well with it. Once an individual ascertains that the choices are compatible with her goals then it is imperative that one commits to them. An individual will only get better if he gets to recognize what is important for her/him based on the life menu.
When some choices go wrong, there is always a second chance that it is described as reincarnation or the right and desire to go back each time just like a hotel menu where one can go back with a new, nice and clean plate. There is always hope when one gets the first choice or decision wrong. According to the writer, there is no chance or fraction of time in life to be wasted for an experience that is not worthwhile, there is nothing to be left out in making alternatives in life.
According to the writer, it is better to spend time doing constructive things than spending it doing immaterial things, and an individual should be held accountable for any activity that she or he does and the time that is spent doing that activity. The writer uses the lives of other people doing constructive things, and he takes time to ponder how other people have managed to make choices and decisions based on those possibilities while letting other choices to go.
There is no dress rehearsal for life choice just like a menu that does not provide a sample plate and once decisions are made it cannot be altered. People are torn between making choices because there is a dilemma of choosing one thing against the other. There is a need to taste all the available choices in order to make the best choice out of the sampled and tasted alternatives.
The writer used the comparison of meals that he felt afraid of to make an order for one meal because he feared the plate getting filled up without having had to taste the others hence he had to opt for side orders so that he could have a taste of all that was on offer. Just like the waiter asked about the meal where the writer answered that it was confusing is an indication of how difficult it is to make choices and that during it, an individual can get confused.
The writer instead of choosing between the various cuisines’ menu that were available at the dinner party like the Chinese, Italian and Mexican cuisine and also an assortment of American meals, he opted for a mix of both in regular ration, which is an indication that he was torn between having to choose one cuisine.