Sidewalk Pizza

The other day, I was sitting outside of Tonelli's on the northeast corner of 26th and 2nd eating a personal Red Pizza (tomato sauce, olive oil, and oregano--no cheese). It wasn't very good. It came in 4 pieces, which I cut again into halves (making 8 all together). I dipped the slices into the little bowl of extra virgin olive oil that was left over from my bread basket appetizer.

I was in the process of eating my second slice when a voice called to me from the sidewalk: "You gonna eat all that?" At first, I wasn't paying attention. I was too intent on my cheese-less pizza to think about the people walking down the street. He asked again, "You gonna eat all that?" I looked up and realize that I was being spoken to. Too confused to know what to say, I just laughed. "I'll give you $5," said the stranger on the other side of the restaurant's patio baracade. "What?" I had been caught off guard and honestly didn't know why this guy was talking to me. "They don't sell by the slice. If you aren't going to eat all that, I'll give you $5 for 2 slices."

Now, I don't usually sell my food to people on the street, and I am not one to give up part of my meal, but this was an offer I couldn't refuse. The pizza had cost me $10, which meant that I was getting some money back, but who did this guy think he was anyway? Coming over and bothering me while I was trying to havea relaxing, quiet meal? Typical of men, always doing what they want. Moreover, what if I was going to eat it all myself? Maybe I'm hungry. And he hadn't asked anyone else sitting outside, just me. Sketchy character, if I do say so.

Nonetheless, I took the money. Hey, $5 can go a long way when you are a poor graduate student. Handing him 2 slices on an extra napkin, I pocketed the $5 and finish my last piece. All in a days work: ate some lunch; made some cash. Maybe I should go to that restaurant more often. Next time I'll order the whole pizza and give him half for $10. That's a good deal if you ask me.