"What do you say?" the mother asked.
"Please?"
I must say, it's so nice to see a parent teaching their child manners. It seems that the faster society moves, the faster we forget the little niceties. I can't count the number of times I've been greeted by a new table with the cordial phrase: "coffee, black." My day would improve by several orders of magnitude if people would just say: "I'm doing wonderful, could I have a coffee please?"
But back to today.
After having an angelic seven-year-old politely ask for a lemonade, I'm feeling optimistic about this table. I turn to the mother to take her drink order, and she politely says: "Iced Tea, and I want extra lemon. Last time, the girl just brought one puny sliver of lemon. You're going to have to bring me more lemons if I don't think there's enough." Okay... well, apparently her mother wasn't quite as good of a parent...
Parents are hypocrites. I mean, we're all hypocrites, but seldom is it so obvious to me as it is when parents deal with their children. Not only do they insist that their children say please and thank you, they also insist that children get fruit instead of french fries or milk instead of soda, and that they wash their hands before eating. All of these things are wonderful lessons to teach your children. But if you want your child to eat his vegetables, you need to eat yours too.
--The Angry Waiter
Zi gong (a disciple of Confucius) asked: "Is there any one
word that could guide a person throughout life?"
The Master replied: "How about 'shu' [reciprocity]: never
impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?"
Analects XV.24, tr. David Hinton
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