I went into my favorite restaurant and saw that there was a new item on the menu: Rice Pilaf Surprise. I’m not really a fan of rice pilaf normally, but the “surprise” part intrigued me. So I ordered it.
I was halfway through when I discovered a twenty-dollar bill buried in the rice. I’ll admit, it was a surprise. Not that I was complaining—the pilaf cost $3.50. I didn’t eat the rest though. After all, money is dirty. What I did do was order another one.
In the next one, I found a five-dollar bill and a bunch of quarters. In the next, there was nothing but two Lincoln Logs and a Lego pirate figure, but in the next one was a gold necklace that had to be worth something.
“You’ve got quite an appetite today,” the waitress remarked, as I ordered my fifth Rice Pilaf Surprise. She pointedly ignored the pile of plates filled with untouched food.
“I sure do,” I said. “Three more Rice Pilaf Surprises, please.”
All in all, that night I got $37.15, a gold necklace, the Lincoln Logs and Lego pirate, three pieces of wire and an old cell phone. All I had to do was buy ten Rice Pilaf Surprises.
Since then I go back every day, usually ordering 10 to 12 at a time. For the last week, it’s been mostly dead rats, shreds of newspaper and some old car parts. Still, I’m not worried.
I feel a hot streak coming on.
The Green-Walled Tower 
July 24th, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Rice pilaf is one of our favorite food. Glad to know that you like it. 🙂
July 24th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
Careful. Next up will be a human finger.
July 25th, 2012 at 1:36 am
I think the dead rats would have put me off.
July 25th, 2012 at 4:01 am
Well, that would certainly make eating out fun, wouldn’t it?! It’s like a treasure hunt.
July 25th, 2012 at 8:27 am
I’d enjoy it, at least if I was guaranteed only to find money and not other things in my food.
July 25th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
this one is too good david!
reminds me of the era when people were obsessed with gifts won through scratching the cola cap etc.
July 25th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Yeah, I remembering collecting chocolate bar wrappers when I was a kid and sending them in for some contest. I never won anything.
July 25th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
i too was very unlucky in those contests 🙂
i collected cola caps i believe.
July 25th, 2012 at 11:42 pm
Was this inspired by your local casino slot machine?
July 25th, 2012 at 11:48 pm
Actually, I was just on the bus and passed a restaurant that must have had a picture in the window. Where the idea of the surprise came from, who knows? 🙂