Cassi Creek: Yesterday
many chain eateries offered free food of some sort to all veterans who showed
up with proof of service. Active duty
and Reserve troops were included by some chains. Golden Corral has been offering such meals to
vets for some time. Over the last decade,
the practice has expanded. Some places
offer only pancakes. Some offer full
breakfasts. Some offer lunches, others
offer only an appetizer. Then there are
places that provide full meals.
The local
FATZ restaurant in Greeneville TN has been providing meals for vets on 11 Nov.
for some time, strictly as a local decision.
This year the chain joined in.
The reward for vets was any entrée up to $15.00.
We drove into
Greeneville last night. FATZ has made
some effort providing something beyond fried food. There are some menu items Gloria can eat
without too much worry. We left home at
1720 and parked at FATZ about 1750. The
parking lot was packed; the outer waiting area was mobbed. The projected wait was 45-60 minutes. We
were actually seated around 1930 and our meals were served about 2000. The store manager came by, sat down, and
thanked us for joining in the event. She
was trying to thank every veteran she could find. The
wait was longer than we anticipated and it grew chilly outdoors before we could
move indoors to wait. The employees were
extremely polite, worked hard to seat, and serve a large number of vets and
their family members.
I’m certain
that the give-away meal event brought in a large amount of coincidental,
non-discounted, revenue. Honestly, I hope
it did. It was rather nice to be
rewarded for having served in uniform.
Today did the
hike with Mike. Returned his electric
guitar with thanks. We started the hike
dry. Halfway back, we noticed some light
raindrops with occasional tiny snowflakes.
By the time we returned to Mike’s, it was raining lightly. As I brought Loki up the steps and into the
house, moderate rain was falling. It has
rained off and on since then. I managed
to top off the salt in the well filters and changed out two light bulbs in the
filter shack before 1100. About 1145, we
began to notice snowflakes mixed with the rain.
Now, at 1145, we have light snow, large flakes and a heavy bird presence
at the feeders.
As for
Veterans’ Day, most public acclamation has ended and the banners and podiums
have been put away for another year. The
politicians have all given their patriotic speeches praising our veterans and
those still serving. Of course, none of
them chose to mention that Congress has just cut the amount of food stamp
assistance received by military families and veterans, pushing our troops
further toward the poverty level.
Happy
Veterans’ Day from a grateful nation and a hypocritical Congress.
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