Plastic Nostalgia

It was October 2010 and my best friend Angus and I were on our way to see The Dollyrots play in The Academy in Dublin.

We were late for their set and were running even later but were both starving so we ran into Burger King on O'Connell Street to grab something to eat.

We placed our orders, sat down at a table with our food and started devouring it like crazed jackals. But when eating like a demented canine, one must always make sure that what one is consuming is actually food.

Halfway through our speed-eating, Angus suddenly stopped and sat still. He coughed a little bit, thumped his chest and I asked if he was OK. He choked out "yeah" before starting to do that thing cats do when they're trying to cough up a hairball...and that's when he spat out a small piece of clear, see-through plastic.

I looked at it. He looked at it.
"Dude," I said. "SLOW DOWN."
So we both slowed down...just in case either of us accidentally ate or drank anything toxic.

And that's why every time I walk by the Burger King on O'Connell Street, I am filled with a great sense of nostalgia. I always end up turning to the person I'm with and proudly declaring "my friend was so excited about seeing The Dollyrots play live that he ate plastic...right in that very restaurant!"