worst part: 

I went to meet my boyfriend for lunch this afternoon at True Thai on the west bank and I pull up and park my ADORABLE 49cc moped on the sidewalk and I walk in and the old guy who works there (owns it maybe?) was at the host stand and I ask for a ‘table for 2 please’ and he starts going off on me,

“why are you parking on the sidewalk?”

“well my bike is only 49cc’s it can be parked like a bicycle so I’m parking it like one”

“but why are you parking on the sidewalk?”

suddenly I’m realizing he’s angry so I repeat exactly what I just said. “well my bike is only 49cc’s it can be parked like a bicycle so I’m parking it like one”

“there’s a parking spot on the street over there why would you choose the sidewalk when there’s a spot over there?”

I had so much to say at this point I could have said there is no way I’m taking up a spot in the street with my little bike, or that this bike takes less than one gallon of gas/month it does far less environmental damage than a car, parking it on the sidewalk is one of the perks I get in return and I’m taking it!… but instead I just repeated myself a third time, ha.

“well my bike is only 49cc’s it can be parked like a bicycle so I’m parking it like one”

Then he VERY crabbily turns to his host and says, “table for two”  I swear it sounded like it was physically painful for him to say, in which I respond, “I don’t feel welcome here, there’s no way I’m eating lunch here”

He simply stared at me.

I left. 

best part:

I left my ADORABLE 49cc moped parked in front of a restaurant owned by a mean, angry man while my boyfriend picked me up and we drove elsewhere and had a lovely lunch together.   ADORABLE mopeds parked on sidewalks is clearly something that upsets this man and as he was mean to me I like to be mean back (do unto others right?).  My boyfriend and I never get to see each other during the week so despite this unpleasant bump in the road it was a really nice treat and we discovered ‘Himalayan Restaurant’ and it was delicious, I also bumped into an old old friend there so that was awesome.

When I picked up my moped back at the Thai place after lunch I made sure to linger so the old guy could see me again, full and happy and I drove away.

Conclusion:

There is a part of me, a big part of me, that knows that when people are dicks it generally has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.  This guy was probably having a shitty day, maybe he has a shitty life and people who are unhappy like to spread their unpleasantness around.  And of course there’s the other part of me that thinks he’s a dick and wishes someone else owned that restaurant that would appreciate how lucky they were to own their own business in a cool city as cool as Minneapolis.  Some people are so undeserving.  As it was my last time there I will formally say, “so long True Thai, you weren’t the best Thai restaurant but you were the closest to my work so that is a shame.  It’s time to move on, but be assured every chance I get I will continue to park my moped in front of your establishment because I can.”