For lunch today I ran out to a nearby Chinese restaurant. Like many Chinese restaurants, this one appears to be family run. Normally there is a young (20-something) man who seats people and handles the register. He was clearly born here and speaks English with a typical Minnesota accent. And older woman, perhaps this mans mother or an aunt or perhaps even a grandmother, putters around, clearing tables, refilling the buffet, and otherwise doing tasks that don't require much command of English.

It's a Chinese restaurant, after all.

As I was leaving, a bitter woman was at the register trying to talk to the elderly Chinese woman. Bitter woman, who throughout the rest of this narrative I will simply refer to as Ugly Bitch, Raving Bitch, or just Bitchy Bigot (I'm sorry, I can't come up with anything more appropriate, was quite confused as to what she wanted. She was asking the wrong questions and asking them poorly. Elderly Chinese Woman's English wasn't up to the task of helping The Bitch. Which is understandable, because I couldn't figure out what BB wanted, either. So the Elderly Woman wandered off and sent Young Man to help.

All very good, right. Except just loud enough for several us to here, BB said with quite a bit of venom, "Bitch!"

I kindly said, "I don't think she speaks much English."

"Then she shouldn't be here!"

At this point, I was quite surprised and puzzled. "But it's a Chinese restaurant."

"I don't care. She should speak English. Most people do."

Well, I guess I should also have referred to BB as Bitchy and Ignorant.

Well, young man came up, determined what it was the woman really wanted (it took a good 30 seconds for her to convey that she wanted a pint of chicken chow mein to go). He then took my receipt and spent 10 seconds giving me my change. Which of course set off Raving Bitch some more about how she was there first and should have been taken care of.

I left a big tip.

I feel bad for her. With an outlook like that, her entire life must suck. Imagine going through the world hating everyone, sure that every person you meet wants to treat you poorly. Imagine deserving to be treated that poorly.