Two Sides To Every Story?

Out there, far from from shore, where birds approach the horizon line, floats a suspect idea which has taken hold in many circles from drum to crop. There, amid the sky and the clouds, it has gripped ahold of countless intelligent thinkers, a belief as firmly held as when the very same bird grabs for a leaping fish. But because this is about more than lunch, I must continue.

This idea of “bothsideism” presupposes a binary equation in every situation, namely when eating out. Where I come from, where the seagulls dance and dine, two sides is what you have for breakfast. Toast and a fruit cup. Bacon and home fries. Flapjacks and a slice of orange. How could anyone argue that there only two sides in this scenario? Whatever happened adding an extra avocado. 

Beneath the flickering neon of a 24-hour diner, people constantly order more than two sides. They are comfortable and confident enough to replace a standard green salad with spinach, pine nuts and a hint of minced garlic. They order off the menu. They do as they please. They load up on multiple sides in a tapas-like sea of small plates. Both sides? Far from it. 

Two sides are standard – often what are included at a barbecue place. Anything else, though more money, is certainly encouraged by the gluttons-that-be. You can’t experience dining as it’s meant to be by sticking with two. The options are endless. You can mix and match, ordering entrees and sides and vice versa. There is nothing to stop a person from ordering an omelet with a side of French toast, Mac and cheese, and sweet potato fries. The clinking of cheap china on your table is music to the ears of many a late night patron. Here, where people routinely order OJ, coffee, and something a little stronger, the word both is utterly meaningless. 

There are more than two sides. Go out to eat if you don’t believe me.