I took my birthday off from work last week because I had a busy day planned of doing absolutely nothing. My schedule included taking a bath, reading at least one chapter of a book, going to dinner with my family, and eating lunch. I know you’re probably thinking, “Well, those are things to do,” but as two of those items could be combined (bath + book) and the bath counted as personal hygiene and eating is a requirement of life, the special thing I did for myself for my birthday was to be cool with not doing anything considered work.
I have a very sweet husband who works very hard every year to make sure my birthday is magical. This year I woke up, lounged myself onto the couch under a blanket, and graciously accepted my husband waiting on me hand and foot for an hour. He brought me coffee; he made me a bagel; he turned on the fireplace; he turned off the fireplace; he gave me a present; he told me I was beautiful even though I hadn’t brushed my teeth and had one leg slung over the couch back and a piece of yarn (unknown source) in my hair. As he was pouring my second cup of coffee, I took a deep breath and gave him the bad news.
“I’ve thought about it and I know where I want to go to lunch,” I told him.
“Great!” He said.
“You won’t think it’s great but it’s what I want,” I said. “Because I want to go for hot pot.”
Hot pot, if you are unaware, is a Chinese dish in which a diner is provided a pot of broth and a variety of raw vegetables and proteins and then cooks the items him or herself in the soup as he or she pleases. A hot pot and Korean barbecue restaurant recently opened up in Grand Forks and I was E.X.C.I.T.E.D. because I L.O.V.E. hot pot.
“Okay!” He said in the high-pitched “oopsie-daisy!” tone that parents use on their children when they fall on the ground and have hurt themselves but won’t realize they have hurt themselves if no one reacts as such.
“My gift to you on my birthday,” I said, “is that you don’t have to come with me. I’m totally 110% good having lunch by myself. I’ll bring my book.”
“No, I’ll come with you,” Kyle said, his voice solemn and his symbolic knee scraped beyond trickery.
Here’s a fact about Kyle: he really, really does not like restaurants where you have to prepare the food yourself. He does not like fondue. He does not like hot stone grilling. He does not like Michelin star culinary theater. Frankly, I’m surprised he dips his own tortilla chips into salsa at Mexican restaurants. Kyle wants to sit down at a table and lift a fork to his mouth and a drink to his lips and That. Is. It.
“Seriously, you don’t have to come with me,” I said as he drove to the restaurant. “I’ll be happy as a clam. A boiled-in-soup clam, eh!” I said, nudging him with my elbow and winking since hot pot jokes are fun.
“I want to come with you,” Kyle said. “It’s your birthday.”
We sat down. We – or, rather, I because I did it for the both of us – ordered. We made our dipping sauces and Kyle got a giant plate of fried rice and chicken nuggets from the appetizer bar which made him slightly less miserable because he didn’t have to cook either of those things. Our ingredients arrived and we tossed them in our pots. We ate and ate and ate and ate.
Finally, when there wasn’t a single millimeter of room left in our bellies (except for the cup of ice cream that I managed to cram in), we turned off our cooktops and waited for our waitress to come around so we could get the check.
“I never thought to look,” I said, “but I wonder if they have a birthday special here.”
“It’s certainly possible,” Kyle said. “It seems like a lot of restaurants do nowadays.”
Our waitress appeared.
“It’s my birthday,” I told her as she cleared our plates. “Do you have a special?”
“It’s your birthday!” She said. “Happy birthday! We DO do something special for birthdays!”
She hustled off.
“I’m glad I asked,” I said to Kyle. “I wonder what it will be? Maybe it’ll be a little discount or a different dessert.”
“Nope, it’s even better,” Kyle said, suddenly thrilled for the first time since we sat down. He pulled out his phone.
From the back of the restaurant came the waitstaff, marching. They marched with a tambourine and a lighted “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” sign and two of their fellow coworkers dressed up as giant bears. Then they stood by my table and encouraged the whole of the restaurant to join them as they sang “Happy Birthday” to me…me, one of two adults sitting at a table without any children at a restaurant populated by other adults on their lunch breaks. Kyle didn’t sing because he was too busy smiling as hard as a human being can smile while two bears and several other very nice hot pot employees played the tambourine and sang loudly to his wife.
For my part, I sang the song to myself, also loudly, because when in Rome. Then I took a picture with the bears and the sign.
“I really enjoyed that,” Kyle said as we drove home. “Really enjoyed it.”
“I did, too,” I said. “Forty-six is starting off with a bang.”
“More like a tambourine shake,” Kyle said.
“Even better,” I said.
The photo above is from the restaurant. Everyone has agreed that our ten-year-old is going to have his birthday dinner at hot pot this year.
This week on North Dakota Today, we talked about a group of North Dakotans on a 7-day medical trip to Ecuador, my Nice People of the Week, as well as a band of “experienced” musicians. (Valley News Live)
Stop what you’re doing and click here to read “Memories of a Forward Area” from one of the wonderful readers of North Dakota Nice. (North Dakota Nice)
“Why yes, I do like happy-crying while reading the news.” (KFYR TV)
It’s Giving Hearts Day season, and Valley News Live is doing a series called “12 Days of Giving” if you want to hear about a few of the great orgs doing great work. (Valley News Live)
Norsk Hostfest may be done, but the Scandinavian Heritage Association lives on. (Williston Herald)
Looking to find love without a dating profile? Here you go. (KFYR TV)
I don’t usually post about new businesses on here…unless that new business is a ROLLER SKATING RINK, WHEEEE. (KFYR TV)
North Dakota Nice 
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