The Man Who Wanted a Bowl… but why?
“Umm.. Excuse me… Could I get a couple of those bowls you guys have? Y’know, those shallow, black ones?” I heard someone asking around the corner up at the counter while I sat in the dining area of Jack In The Box last night.
“WHAT ARE YOU USING THEM FOR?!?” retorted the manager lady in a undetermined ethnic accent but with that decided overtone of customer disservice. I recognized that tone. It accompanies an attitude of anyone who is forced to work with the general public and normally maintain a friendly attitude, but are faced with someone whom he or she knows isn’t going to get squat. “WHY YOU WANT THESE BOWLS?!?”
Seemed like a reasonable question, even if the hostility was a bit unexpected. Apparently, there might have been some history here, and I was intrigued. I listened more intently.
“Umm… to eat with. Cereal,” the questioner responded meekly, almost pitifully.
“WHY YOU HAVE NO BOWLS AT YOUR HOUSE?”
“I…I just moved here. I’ll pay for the bowls.”
“NO! I TOLD YOU LAST TIME YOU CAME IN HERE TO ASK,” Aha, there was some history here, “WE CAN’T GIVE YOU THE BOWLS. I GAVE YOU AND YOUR FRIEND THEM THAT ONE TIME TO BE NICE, BUT NO MORE!”
“Can you charge me for them?” Man, this guy really wanted these Jack In The Box bowls!
“NO! THERE IS NO BUTTON ON THE REGISTER TO JUST CHARGE FOR A BOWL BY ISSELF, SO YOU SEE, NO WAY TO CHARGE YOU FOR BOWL!”
“Oh, well, umm… what do I need to buy to get the bowl?”
“NOTHING!”
“Oh, great, so I can have the bowl then.” This was getting surreal, like a weird Highway 99 version of a Monty Python sketch.
“NO!!!” the hardnosed manager lady was now responding with three exclamation points.
“Okay, I mean,” the young man continued, “what kind of food item do I need to buy that will come in that bowl?”
“CHICKEN TERRIYAKI BOWL IS $4.99, SO NO, YOU NOT GETTING A BOWL!.” Apparently, the manager lady had already determined that the five dollar food item was beyond the man’s means.
“Oh. You don’t suppose I could buy just like a Chicken Sandwich or something and you guys could give it to me in the bowl?” I bust out laughing from around the corner on hearing this.
“NO!”
At this, the bowl seeker gave up and left the restaurant. I saw him walking away on foot as I finished up my All-American Combo Meal (which also doesn’t come with a bowl). He was young, long-haired and on foot.
On my way out, I stopped at the front counter, and when the smiling cashier girl asked me what else I would like, I couldn’t resist… “Do you suppose I could a couple of those shallow, black bowls you guys use?”
“Bwah!” the young lady was shocked, “No, sir we charge for those!”
Hard-nosed manager lady came barreling out from the food prep area, with a scowl on her face, determined to thwart yet another free-bowler.
“I’m just kidding,” I smiled, dropping the façade immediately, but since it was already pretty late and there were no other customers in the place, I chatted with the two Jack In The Box employees about the encounter I had just overheard, inquiring if they had any idea why this guy was so obsessed with getting his hands on these bowls. Surely, the cereal story was just a cover.
They complained that this guy has been a problem in the restaurant. He’d come in, get a $1 burger, and sit in the dining area for hours. As we had heard, this wasn’t the first time he’s asked for free bowls. The manager explained that one evening, after the man had occupied one of the booths for quite some time, on cleaning the place, they found two syringes under the table where he’d sat. Hmm… AFAIK, junkies don’t just drop their works on the floor of a fast food joint.
Hmmm… Drugs. Jack In the Box bowls. I don’t see the connection.
At some point in my near future, I hope to get a job as a drug and alcohol counselor, and so it is important I understand some of the drug culture and the functionality of various paraphernalia, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what type of illicit purpose on could put to a thin, plastic, disposable bowl. It’s not like it would make a good vessel to mix or prepare injectible drugs in, I don’t think. Unless you had a whole LOT of drugs and were preparing them for a group of 50… Then, of course, you could just buy the $5 Terriyaki dish… I don’t know.
In any case, I thought it was a fun yet baffling little anecdote, and if anyone has any idea, however crazy, as to why the dude wanted the empty bowl SO badly, please share.
My last words to the laughing ladies behind the counter when they couldn’t come up with any explanation of the bowl-seeker was…
“Maybe Jack knows…”
And fittingly, I am now headed out to go bowling.
And people want to know why I don’t go out more….
Never get out of the boat, absolutely god damn right. Unless you were going all the way.
The phrase, “There, but for the Grace of God, go I” comes to mind. I am suffering instant karma. I spent just a little bit too long writing and editing this blog, which made me 3 minutes late to the corner, meaning I missed the bus to the bowling alley. The next one doesn’t come for another hour, and by then, the sober bowling will be almost done. No going out for me tonight, all because I decided to mock my fellow man suffering from whatever he’s suffering from…
Ewwwww! I would avoid that particular Kangaroo in a pouch, Joko. I’m suprised you don’t remember the E Coli scare in the northwest in the early 90’s…Four children died and hundreds of others became sick in the Seattle area as well as California, Idaho and Nevada, after eating undercooked and contaminated meat from Jack in the Box. It was the largest and deadliest E. coli outbreak in American history up to that time.
The kid is a history buff. He probably failed on his trial run to make someone sick, and he’s refining his science. Most likely he sat around the restaraunt all day (that day that the manager was relating to you in her story) waiting for an opportunity to squirt fecal matter into someones teryaki bowl when they were distracted or going to get something AROUND THE CORNER AT THE COUNTER. The 2 syringes probably represent 2 attempts. It’s possible that someone did indeed get sick. I think it takes a bit of time before yoiur immune system gives up the ghost and your organs begin to fail…
Sorry Joko, It’s probably nothing. I would avoid Jack In The Box…This man may have an ax to grind. You eat outside of the direct view of the employees at the counter. That Newspaper you are reading may be a perfect shield…
I always look for conspiracies, Joko. I think my imagination is working overtime!
Oh, I guess I did not directly answer your question as to why… he wanted the bowl. He found something wrong in his previous attampts, maybe and he needs props for practice so he can get that quick and furtive non chalance movement that delivers the evil dose…I was brought up on a farm where we would use the large plastic Anti-Mastitus syringes as pinpoint accurate classroom lob shots at the teachers chair when she was at the chalkboard…With practice, he could probably deliver into a bowl from 3 feet away (I think imina barf now…)
Jack in the box didn’t know?
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they’ll wanna eat not just the food but also the bowls and after that who knows what else..
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Wait, Joko. you ate at a Jack in the Box? Srsly? You are brave!
One of My Ex’s is a drug and alcohol counselor,.. I call Her from Time to Time when I’m really WASTED! :groovy:
(Buy the way, One Has to be on Drugs to eat at “Jack in the crack”) 😆
Hmm… this beats the hell outta me??? Maybe if he was using heroin the bowl was to puke in>?????? I don’t know Joko, this is sad. And I agree, we have a Jack in the crack, and I am leery to eat there too! LOL. How ya been? 🙂
💡 As a plant starter vessel ~ what else LMAO ➡ ❓ or cereal ❗
•bowl smoking-you’re doing it wrong•
I heard a while back that they had worked out a “no-cook” method for making meth. Perhaps those bowls are used for that, somehow. I know there are certain types of plastic that can be burned and crumbled down into powder and used to make tattoo ink. Maybe he’s doing jailhouse tattoos in exchange for a fix here and there.
Test
Perhaps these black Jack in the Box bowls just go well with his collection of matching Cool Whip containers that he uses for salads, margarine containers that he uses for desserts and old Slurpee cups that he uses for beverages? Just a thought. :groovy:
What chain reaction if you eat at Jack in the Box !
p.s. what place is that ? we have only McDonalds.
cancelcancel italicsmust be a fault
Maybe to put it on the floor and beg for alms.
I don’t know what Jack in the Box is but it seems to make people angry.
Maybe it’s his idea of the antithesis of FiestaWare?
Those black bowls would make a nice counterpoint to FiestaWare, my late life obsession.
I went Googling and Utubing with search words Bowl, Junkie, and Drug use.
Interesting. Found an interesting video about Rock-a-billie O’s..
and then saw that this had 118,000 views.
I am of no help, whatsoever.
you aint lieng some scary reality out there
Oddly enough, Joko, I believe that I have the answer to the question you have asked, bearing in mind it is based upon the accuracy of your assumption that this fellow’s request was drug related.
I believe that Moose’s answer above is closest to being on track, despite it’s being incorrect. The ‘cold cook’ method to manufacturing meth that he referred to is a process that is overwhelmingly popular in Mexico, or with folks who are manufacturing it strictly for sales and profitabilty. It uses ephedrine, anhydrous (no water, or other impurities) ammonia, and an alkaline metal (sodium, lithium, or magnesium), and they are combined, stirred every once in awhile for a day or so, and then processed into a hydrochloride. The pro’s of this method: There is a 100% or near 100% return, meaning whatever weight in ephedrine you start with will be the weight of meth HCL you end up with assuming good manufacturing processes. The con’s: the length of time of the process, and reduced potency of the finished product (as compared to the more infamous red phosphorus, iodine, ephedrine process).
But this bears no relation to the bowls. The answer to that question I do not feel comfortable giving to you, because of the presence of one of your other commenters, above, who has gotten into having my entries deleted and stuff like that lately. It has nothing much to do with you, Joko, and I apologize. I’m just skeered is all.
8)
Maybe he is homeless and has a dog that need a water bowl or two, or three …
I read this a few hours ago. Pretty funny.
You find the funniest shit while you are out and about… Thanks for always sharing with us.