May 9th, 2007

It’s Official…

…I look ridiculous.

I’ll never understand the mindset restaurants have with the whole “birthday embarrassment” thing. It has to be near the top of the list when you’re deciding what kind of restaurant you’re going to have:

Opening A New Restaurant Checklist

  • What sort of food will we serve?
  • What kind of atmosphere will we have?
  • How will we embarrass people on their birthdays?
  • Where’s a good place for a restaurant?

I have to say, though, Texas Roadhouse has about the best way of going about it. Other places tend to have their own version of a birthday song that sometimes fits their overall theme, even if no one can ever understand the song. The servers tend to sing like it was a Nativity Play and they’ve been forced to wear a lobster suit and stand around the manger.

But at the Roadhouse, the servers confer amongst each other to get the loudest, most uninhibited person to lead the proceedings. I’ve actually witnessed it happening – “Chad, you do it. Please? No one can ever hear me if I do it.” They make the birthday person sit on a saddle, pull one of the hanging lights over as if it were a spotlight, and ask anyone who can hear to “give a Texas Roadhouse ‘yee-haw’.”

And, apparently, sitting on a saddle, having a light pointed at you, and being yee-hawed at isn’t enough. Now they’ve got these plastic cowboy hats for you to wear. I suspect the hats are designed for 12-year-olds, as it didn’t really fit on my head all that well (as you can see). The nice thing about it being plastic is that I can use it as a dip holder when next I serve some sort of cowboy-themed chips at my next movie gathering.

Oh, and apparently there’s a video of the yee-hawing somewhere, but I don’t have it. Since I’m trying to move past posting about my birthday, you might never get to see it. I know you’re crushed.

(Picture credit: Jeannie, who’s taken my place as the official photographer of all things Careerian. Pictured (l to r): Me, the back of Jeannie’s mom’s head, Melissa, two-thirds of Wendy’s face, and the back of Jeannie’s dad’s head.)

12 Comments on “It’s Official…”

  1. M. Kate says:

    Oh don't fret you'll all get to see the video. Patience…;)

  2. Diana says:

    I am sorry that I did not get the chance to go after all. Your embarassment would have been great to see in person.
    I hope your parents had a good time and a safe and uneventful trip home.

  3. G-Knee says:

    Oh man…

  4. TheBon says:

    I have photos of me wearing a giant paper maché fish hat on my 24th birthday at a local seafood restaurant.

  5. Marshall says:

    Pwn'D

  6. wendles says:

    I think you look HOT!
    My suggestion – start wearing that hat everywhere you go. It accentuates your large head and will make all the girls think you're smart. ;)

  7. M. Kate says:

    You know I don't remember there being any lobsters in the bethlehem scene during the Living Nativity. I realize I was busy mocking and only walked through bethlehem, but still…

  8. MadMup says:

    MK – I still haven't seen the video and I've been 35 for DAYS. At this rate, I will die having not seen it.

    Diana – my folks had a great time and got home safely. Thanks!

    Bon – These pictures need to be seen? Are they on your Flickr account somewhere?

    Marhsall – At least it wasn't possums…

    Wendy – Is pointing and laughing the way people are saying "You look hot!" these days? Because that's all I'm getting…

    MK – The lobsters were added last year – you must just have missed them. I'm sure they'll be back.

  9. SpirituallyStarving says:

    "Back in the saddle again…"

  10. Lisa says:

    When I looked at this post the other day I thought… man, that girls hair is really cute! Yesterday I got my hair cut, and while I didn't think about it while at the salon, the thoughts were subconsciously there because looking at her (Melissa if I'm reading right?)hair again today – I now have the same cute hair, sans the beautiful color. Thanks for the inspiration!!

  11. M. Kate says:

    Thanks Lisa, for the very nice compliment of hair plagiarism. :)

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