The Dinner Guest With The Curious Habit
By Mr.e

Last night I invited a good friend over for dinner. It was a long overdue invitation and both of us were very pleased that our schedules finally meshed.

Having had George over for dinner before, I knew that I could expect to witness a rather strange after dinner ritual. While I knew it might happen, actually knew with the certainty born of previous experiences, I still hoped against hope that it would not happen. Not this time. Not again.

It did.

I've known George for a very long time. George is a good friend. We share a predilection for fine food and enjoy getting together for the odd culinary experiences from time to time. Last night was no exception and I'd planned a menu that I'd long wanted him to sample. He was as eager as I was anxious he taste this particular dish.

When invited to dinner, certain rules of behavior are assumed. Bring wine, enjoy yourself, munch hors d'oeuvre in the kitchen while dinner is made ready (around this household anyway), quaff a few drinks and generally have a pleasant silly time around the dinner table while enjoying a sumptuous meal (whatever it is, hopefully tasty), provide good company and offer entertaining conversation.

One should however not fall asleep on the hosts' living room floor after dinner, punctuating the ongoing conversation around the table with loud and alarming snores while seemingly comfortably laid out upon the floor.

Yes, George did all this. Yet again, to my chagrin dashing any hopes I had to the contrary. His dinner date bravely continued conversation (used to this habit I suppose) while George's snoring added a curious score to the music playing softly in the background. So much for the pleasant after dinner ambiance when appetites have been sated and the memory of a truly enjoyable meal is still fresh.

Perhaps George feels so comfortable in our relationship that grabbing a few winks whenever the mood strikes seems a trivial indulgence to give in to. Earlier in the evening he made comment on a photograph he came across on a roll of film he recently had developed. We smiled helplessly. It was a shot of him asleep on our living room floor, after another dinner. It was just too opportune a moment to pass up.

While I have some understanding about the males' irresistible craving for a nap on the couch after a good Sunday noon meal, I have difficulty in getting to the heart of the matter when this nap renders George virtually comatose on our living room floor after a late dinner; every time he comes to this house!

The only way I can see around this dilemma is to never invite George to dinner again. I've said this before too (emphatically), alas ... he is a good friend and perhaps falling asleep on the living room floor is just his way of paying a compliment to an enjoyable meal.

Will I invite George to dinner again? Probably, but I'll have to construct the next meal on caffeine based ingredients ... with a sweet creamy espresso desert. Hopefully that will do the trick. I'm sorry, I don't know if he falls victim to this curiously vexing habit when invited to dinner at other friends homes.