New Year's Day

Earlier last week I told Tina that we should go out for the evening with some friends. To have a nice night of dinner and drinks with Chris and Christina. She called them and they were in. On New Year's Day Tina and them had a few conversations and we agreed to go to a local restaurant named Jack & Charlie's.

The restaurant is located in the basement of the historic Tulare County Jail building. The sign out front is inside an old red British phone booth. The restaurant is decorated in an art deco style that is very original in Visalia. When we walked in, there were a couple people at the bar and a couple, who we knew, sitting at a table. This was a surprise to us.

After looking at the menu and trying to decide what drinks to order, I noticed "beer in a bag" on the menu. I decided to order an Olympia beer in a bag. When the drinks were brought to our table I was handed a brown paper bag with an Olympia beer in a can. That was very original. I had not had an Olympia beer before and was pleasantly surprised.

We decided to order a cheese plate and marinated olives as an appetizer. I ordered the Buccatinni with Meatballs for dinner. The olives were good, but I have not had many olives that were not good. The cheese plate was sparse and it almost looked like they were trying too hard.

When dinner arrived, everything looked great. I had never had Buccatinni before, so I was excited to try it. It was very good. It was spicy and had great flavor. The portion was small for the price. Everyone was very satisfied with their meals. They do a really good job with their menu.

As I think back on the evening, I realize that I was feeling uneasy from the minute we sat down. I felt uncomfortable and out of place. Not because I have never been to a nice restaurant before, because I have been to many much nicer than this one. I felt bad that we were going to pay too much money for a dinner that was not worth the expense. The food was great, but is any food worth paying an exorbitant amount for? I don't think so.

Throughout dinner I just kept thinking about what could be done with the money we were spending. I thought about people that do not have food to eat. I thought about where we could be eating for much less money instead. I felt guilty the entire time we were there. I guess that I have undergone a major change. I care about other people more than I ever have before. I guess the curse of this caring is that I will feel guilty whenever I do anything that can be considered a splurge. This is a new feeling that I will have to learn to live with or do something about.