That occasion was a Thursday night when Kevin invited his aunt, Bev, to join us at Happy�s Chinese Buffet in Dixon (which is like Canberra's Chinatown) for a meal. We had been to Happy�s before and enjoyed the cuisine. But management had changed and so had, as we were about to discover, the food. Our evening at Happy�s would turn out to be anything but.
The first unhappy thing we noticed, after paying our $15, was that the soup was cold. Now Bev, like Kevin, is not backward when it comes to being forward. And like all Lucas�s, Bev will not put up with bad food or bad people. She informed a passing manageress about the status of the soup. The manageress didn't show surprise or concern on her face, but gave Bev a dismissive, "no one else has complained". Returning to our meal we bit into the prawns to discover that some of them were still frozen! We also watched amazed as a waitress proceeded to take prawns out of the buffet rather than put them in. Perhaps we were eating too many?
When the manageress came back to pick up our plates and saw a pile of prawns still there she commented that we had left some food. Now there are signs on the buffet counter which say that any food left on the plates will be charged for. Bev indignantly snapped that it was a little hard to eat prawns when they were still half frozen.
Now one thing that you should never do is annoy a Lucas. They are apt to get their revenge in any one of a number of ways. And both Kevin and Bev where mightily unhappy with Happy�s level of service, and the less than friendly attitude of the staff. They conspiratorially decided to practice a little civil disobedience of their own.
Kevin picked up two bread rolls, which were day-old and almost like rocks, and proceeded to throw them across the floor when the staff were not looking. Bev went one better. She 'accidentally,' pushed her plate right off the table, leaving a telling stain on the carpet and us laughing hysterically. Not content to leave it at that she suddenly screamed out like a retarded person, much to the surprise of the patrons. Embarrassed by these Lucas antics, I tried to hide under the table.
By now we had eaten the cold soup, the frozen prawns and the not-very- hot food and had decided that we were far from happy. But Kevin had one last score to settle with Happy�s as we walked out. Spotting a couple who had just walked through the door, and who were eyeing the buffet, he went boldly up to them. He told them what was waiting for them if they payed their money and took their chances. The newly-informed couple took
Kevin's advice, promptly turned on their heels and left.
And Bev had one last parting shot. Confronting the waitress at the front counter, she said that the food was disgusting and that she would never return for seconds - let alone firsts. The waitress was too stunned to reply.
While our experience at Happy�s was not one of my happier cullinary moments, at least it wasn�t a total write off. Kevin and his aunt more than made up for the poor cusine and proved once again that when you get two Lucas's together you not only get an entertaining night out but you also get twice the excitement.
