It’s time for a new segment, I call it, “Um, NO.”
Think of it as an homage to “Thatz not Okay.”
This week I want to talk to my fellow outdoorsmen about a subject near and dear to us all.
PANDHANDLING IN RESTAURANTS.
Um, NO.
This is disturbing to many patrons, to the point that it is in fact the reason many establishments look askance at me when I walk in the door with one too many bags. Why anyone would think that a restaurant is an appropriate place to beg for change is beyond me. People like to eat their meals in a low stress environment, not to mention, if they have change at all it’s covered in germs (all cash money is notorious as a disease vector) and should definitely not be touched between bites of a cheeseburger and fries.
It’s rude, it’s off-putting, it could actually make someone sick, this is just a no-go all the way around.
But, people are hungry, broke, etc. Yeah, and they may fly a sign, or just take a nap in the park. Or hit up a soup kitchen. Or even just grab a chair, because a significant amount of time someone will see such a person sitting there, and offer them the extra item from a combo meal, or even offer to buy them something outright. There’s just really no need to get in someone’s face 99% of the time.
Of course, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” you say. That’s fixable, when the people who cause such a blight on civility see that those who meekly get whatever they need without resorting to such rudeness, many will give up on this tactic when they catch on.
“But what would you do in that situation?” – I would pray about it. No seriously, Lots of people wonder why I don’t resort to begging on the corner and I can honestly say it’s because God has been good to me. I may not know where it’s going to come from, but I rarely miss a meal, and don’t have to resort to these kinds of measures. It’s not a caviar buffet, but pizza is not that hard to come by in Manhattan.
Moreover, you’re going to need help getting your life together eventually, and that kind of help is not typically forthcoming from the welfare system. You may as well get used to asking god for the things you need, or it’s going to be an even longer, harder, road out of hell.
“Ask of your Father who is in Heaven in secret, and He will reward you openly.” – Jesus of Nazareth
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