by Peter Holleran



“Learn the rules so that you know how to break them properly.” - Dalai Lama


Restaurant scene from Five Easy Pieces w/ Jack Nicholson

   Bobby (Jack) : I'll have an omelet, no potatoes. Give me tomatoes instead, and wheat toast instead of rolls. Waitress: No substitutions. Bobby: What do you mean? You don't have any tomatoes? Waitress: Only what's on the menu. You can have a number two - a plain omelet. It comes with cottage cheese, fries, and rolls. Bobby: Yeah, I know what it comes with, but that's not what I want. Waitress: I'll come back when you make up your mind. Bobby: Wait a minute, I have made up my mind. I'd like a plain omelet, no potatoes on the plate. A cup of coffee and a side order of wheat toast. Waitress: I'm sorry, we don't have any side orders of toast. I'll give you a English muffin or a coffee roll. Bobby: What do you mean "you don't make side orders of toast"? You make sandwiches, don't you? Waitress: Would you like to talk to the manager? Bobby: You've got bread. And a toaster of some kind? Waitress: I don't make the rules. Bobby: OK, I'll make it as easy for you as I can. I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee. Waitress: A number two, chicken sal san. Hold the butter, the lettuce, the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else? Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules. Waitress: You want me to hold the chicken, huh? Bobby: I want you to hold it between your knees!).

Conclusion:

   If the waitress was a sage she would not have had gone through such a rigid mental process but rather responded appropriately in the moment. Jack would have been spared his dramatic act-out, and all things would have worked out fine in the Unborn. Actually they did anyway, as we not only derived great pleasure from a classic movie scene but countless waitresses in the past thirty years have no doubt become more feeling and spontaneous in their service, and many passive male egos more assertive, developing the faculty of the will, attributes which when fully matured will predispose them towards full surrender and a chance at recognizing enlightenment.


The Truth