On the way to the airport, my mother and I stopped at a Ruby Tuesday in Bowie, Maryland. Southern Maryland is a magical place, one which rivals the entire state of New Jersey for the title of Grossest Place on Earth. As we drove north on 301, I thought, "Well, the Northern Neck is sad and slightly pathetic, but at least it's pretty. And not in Maryland."
An aside: We drove by this place:
Anyway, getting to the point: We were sitting in Ruby Tuesday, which has recently gone through some kind of transformation, apparently, into a modern, classy joint. They got rid of the Tiffany lamps and took chicken fingers off the menu, and all of the meals came on square, white plates, the kind one might find at CB2. They still have a salad bar, of course, so they manage to retain an air of lower-middle class despite the fiber-enriched wheat holding my hamburger.
As I stared at my half-eaten burger, I suddenly realized that "I Feel It All" was playing on the radio. It was as if I had entered some strange dimension: a modern eating atmosphere with Feist playing on the stereo... in Bowie, Maryland. (By the way, that is pronounced "Boo-wie," and not like the famous singer.) I kind of chuckled and said, "This feels weird."
My mother replied, "What?"
"Well, Feist is on the radio in small-town Maryland." Again, I had to explain who Feist was, despite hearing "Inside and Out" an hour earlier on a mix-CD I made for my mom two years ago. ("Ooh, I like this one!" she exclaimed.)
"It's just weird that I saw Feist play in a small bar three years ago before she got famous, and now she being nominated for Grammies and being played on the radio in Maryland," I said.
There was a brief pause wherein my mother tried to come up with a response. She then stated: "I saw Seals & Crofts before they were famous."
I think she wins.
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2 comments:
i am so glad we can share a love/hate for eastern motors commercials. they're amazing!
This is hilarious! I found your post from isweatbutter and am cracking up. I live in "Booowie" Maryland. I have always hated the pronunciation because it sounds so hickish, but turns out it's named after some dude so it's not just a regional accent. Technically we don't consider ourselves Southern Maryland, you have to get about 30 minutes south to Waldorf for that, the locals say. Pretty funny! I am often complaining that Bowie is too bland. It's 13 miles from both Annapolis and DC, both cooler places to be. It's one of the cheaper areas though, in the metro DC region so that's why I'm here. I'm originally a Jersey girl myself. Thanks for the post!
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