Why Do They Ask?

Tonight I ate dinner at Carrabba's restaurant.  I had the Mezzaluna, a really good ravioli dish.  Mezzaluna is Italian for "half moon", and the menu claims that the raviolis are half-moon shaped.  That is a bit of a stretch, but it's a catchy name for the item.

As our waitress greeted us, she asked, "Is this your first time dining with us?"  I have noticed that a lot of restaurant employees are asking that question recently, and I have to wonder why.  If you say "no", they say something like, "Well, welcome back."  If you indicate that this is indeed your first visit, the waitress will usually launch into a spiel like, "Let me show you some of our specialities on the menu." 

Do these people think we're too stupid to figure out the menu on our own?  Or, if they simply wish to recommend some particular item, what difference does it make if this is the first visit or not?  Why not ask something more useful, like, "Do you know where our restrooms are?"

I realize this is really petty of me, but, hey.  That's the kind of person I am.

Today's post is brought to you by Nikola Tesla.  He was born on this date in 1856.  Among other things, he worked on developing a death ray.  He was an incredible inventor - quite probably barking mad, but a great inventor.

Believe it or not, there is actually a song about Tesla.  It's not too bad.  I mean, it's not like I can find a lot of video clips about Tesla, so you're just going to have to make the best of it.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90YsTGklRqA

If you use your imagination, this cartoon can apply to both topics covered in this post.  Just pretend that the man on the floor is Tesla, and this was his first visit to the retaurant.