Ogori Cafe dining is an odd concept but when Seth Godin blogged about it, I found myself wishing we had one in Chicago. Simply put, at the Ogori cafe, you get what the person before you ordered, and the next person gets what you ordered.  I love this idea! It’s much more fun worrying about what someone else might enjoy instead of figuring out what you want to eat.  On the other hand Cole, inheriting his father’s eating habits, wondered “Mom, how will they know what I like?”

I love eating at a restaurant and having someone else order for me. Menus are overwhelming and no matter what I order, someone else’s dinner will look better to me. On the other hand Cole, inheriting his father’s eating habits, wondered “Mom, how will they know what I like?”

My mother first, and then Joe were champions at ordering for me. I still have the urge to call my mom and ask her what salad dressing I should order. When Joe died, I was left with the question of what to put on my pizza and hotdog. It’s reassuring to live with someone and be able to ask, “Do I like that?” Cole amused me the other day. I ordered something at a restaurant and he interrupted me with, “Mom, I just don’t think you will like that.”

When Joe and I ate out, more often than not Joe would look at the menu for both us and, more often than not tell me what I “should” have. He was usually right and when he wasn’t, the guilt was worth it. Nothing made Joe unhappier than to suspect that my plate was not happy because of what he had ordered for me. There is a lot of mileage in this kind of guilt.

Do you go to the Ogori Cafe for the surprise of what you will receive or the surprise of what you will give? Or do you opt out altogether because why take the risk that you might not get something you like, or because you are afraid the person behind you won’t like what you order.  What if everyone at the Ogori Cafe ordered with the person behind them in mind? Is the Ogori Cafe really even about food or is it more of a social experiment that includes food?

Maybe ordering off the menu is easier.  What do you think?

Glad you were in my Odd neighborhood. Feel free to drop by any time. Odd Loves Company and odd loves you and you and you!! I would love to hear from you in the comment section of this blog, or on Facebook or Twitter!

Katybeth

Katybeth