Dining Out: Lunch with a Side of Karaoke

Do you remember the scene in "My Best Friend's Wedding" where Cameron Diaz's character sings to her fiance? The melody is ruined and yet the crowd still goes wild at the end or her awful performance. That scene played over and over through my mind this past week at a local Philippine restaurant. A friend and I wanted to try something new for lunch and she suggested the small establishment boasting the best Philippine cuisine in the city. Seeing as it was my first time to indulge in culinary treats from that country, I wouldn't be the best judge of the dishes. It tasted like most oriental food to me. Lots of veggies and chicken over rice or noodles with a good sauce. Of course you can't have oriental food without the token spring roll or cup of soup.

While we were waiting for our food, I took note of the TV screens in 2 corners of the small room. That's when I heard the music. It was off-key and the words didn't quite sound like the English words on the screen in front of me. Turning my head, I spotted the songster--I young Asian professional singing a tune while she and co-workers waited for their meal. It didn't stop there. I think 3 of the 4 at their table sang before passing the mic to the table beside ours. Each time the new performer would scroll through the songs I was surprised by some of the tunes available. Steven Curtis Chapman's, "I'll be right here waiting" was an option that came up several times. I should have paid for their lunch just to hear that song sung in a Middle Eastern country by an Asian man in a Philippine karaoke restaurant. Now that would be have been worth $5! I tried to record the performances on my mobile phone, but it wasn't clear enough to download for the blog. Next time I'll have to bring my camera for some quick party pics.