The Generous Fruit Plate

The Generous Fruit Plate

by Bill High

Okay, so I admit it. We are trying to stay away from donuts, and eat healthy things like, well, fruit.  That’s not always easy when you are on the go, and particularly when you go to those special banquets and they tempt you with crazy, luscious kinds of desserts.

So there I was confronted with a chocolate, caramel mousse.  My wife led the way and asked our steward for a fruit plate.  I agreed as well, and we passed on the mousse thing.

But the way these big events go is that they sometimes last for more than one day.  This event was in fact at the Ritz Carlton, and it was 3 days and two nights.  You know what that means:  two days of dessert, two days of temptation.

Well, because we had such a big event, we had a steward assigned to our event.  He oversaw everything—the servers, the coffee, the drinks, the snacks, the sound, the lighting…everything.  I watched him.  He stood in the back of the room and observed.  If there was a need, he met it.  One guest jokingly said that he needed more dessert.  And before you knew it, he had a three layer chocolate cake to boot.

In the second night of our temptation, it came desert time.  The second night was better than the first.  It looked like some kind of coconut custard supreme—too good to describe.  I was ready to cave.

The steward saved me.  He had observed the night before.  I got the fruit plate without even asking.  Rasberries.  Blueberries.  Pineapple.  All fresh.  All healthy.   I thanked him—sincerely I did.  I was touched by his generous act.

Indeed, generosity begins with observation.

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Published October 24, 2011

Topics: Lessons with Bill

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