Skipping Dessert … and taking the stairs

This past Friday was “meet the teacher” day for Sprightly Daughter 1, a rising first grader.  We decided, she and I, that it would be fun to have lunch after said meeting and before returning her to the Y for the afternoon.  Thursday evening, in preparation, she wrote up a list of possible local eateries in one of her many journals so, you know, we wouldn’t have to waste time thinking about it on Friday.

After leaving school, full of the promise of the Best School Year Evah, we hopped in the car and went through the (comprehensive) list she had prepared.  We decided Tasty Buddha, our go-to family place, would be the best choice, and off we went.  On the way, she saw a big red sign that read, “Five Guys.”

“Dad, why are there five guys in that building?”

“Huh?”

“Over there.  That red sign.  It says ‘five guys'”.

“Oh, yeah, that’s Five Guys Burgers and Fries.”

“Hey, that rhymes.  I get it.  Do they just have burgers and fries?”

“Yes, but all kinds of burgers and really good french fries. Do you want to go there instead of Buddha?”

“No.  Fries aren’t healthy.  We can get food that’s good for us at Buddha, and it tastes good.”

Now, I should point out that my Lovely Wife and I talk a lot about healthy eating options, and Sprightly Daughters 1 and 2 are quite good at asking questions about what constitutes healthy food – and why – and they’ve come to know pretty well when they’re eating junk (which doesn’t always stop them, nor should it).

Even in that context, however, it was heartening to know that she gets it, at least so far, and occasionally.  And that she was lookin’ out for ol’ Dad in my moment of weakness.  ‘Cause I wanted me a big bag of Five Guys fries.

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By the way, if you’re a Gainesvillian, or just passin’ through and looking for a good meal, you could do a lot worse than Tasty Buddha (formerly known as Buddha Belly) – either location.  Also, it’s owned by friend of the blog Parker Van Hart.  And yes, Parker, you can use this true story in your advertising if you ever need to hammer the guys across the street.