Ah, the dreaded Q....

Out on my quest for quality quahogs,I ran into a quarrelsome fellow quester who was in a quandry while  trying to determine quality in what would qualify for his chowder. I quickly quantified my abilities as a quahog expert and quizzed my fellow quester about size. The quiz perturbed the quahog quester and he procceed to question my qualifications.  The quirky questioner quieted when I said I was a quadragenarian of many years clamming in Quonset. "Oh", he replied, "Your quirky questions were quite surprising. May I address you as the Queen of Quahogs?" I bowed to his quixotic question and quickly quoted my quahog fees...invite me for chowder as long as there was a quorum of quite like minded quahog questers present. "Done", he answered quite quietly.

PS....the chowder was delicious!

Noise

Here's my crotchety, yes, I'm getting old, new pet peeve....noisy restaurants. I cannot stand it and even when the food may be terrific, I am reluctant to go. Never noticed until lately how the octaves may be so high. What I can't understand is why some restaurants are quiet and some are so loud you can barely hear the waitress. It has little to do with price as some chains are quiet and some fine dining establishments are cacophonous! Some smallish places can be ear splitting but it usually is the larger restaurants that strain the timbers! So I guess it may be the sheer number of people? I don't know. I do know, when possible, I won't sit near children. Spent a life long career, 6+ hours a day with them. Love them but don't want to eat with them. I also have learned to sit near the walls of a restaurant. It's ear-splitting hell to sit in the center.
My hearing is fine and there is no loss, despite the many concerts in my youth, but when I'm out for a meal, whether a sandwich, an omelet or chicken cordon bleu....shhhhhhh!
Off crotchety-old-lady soapbox!