Life is a Smorgasbord by Dan Lewis - Article Example

The author or main character of this piece seems to be a quiet-minded introspective sort of person that prefers peace and quiet in his life. He would rather enjoy a secluded corner where he could ruminate on life and its purpose and how best it could be lived by eliminating the extraneous bits. He is not really anti-social but does not see the point of family gatherings where there is a lot of noise and confusion. Also, he remarks that at the Hometown Buffet there is so much a choice that he is flabbergasted and when the cashier asks him how his meal was, his answer is ‘Confusing’(Lewis,1999, 296).

He could not avoid attending his Aunt Elaine’s 50th birthday party and tries to make the most of it. The first thing that happens is that all 21 of the family members are stuck in line behind three busloads of women bowlers from the back East. Then when they finally make it to the buffet tables, he is overwhelmed by the array of ‘mass-produced cuisine flowing out of a stainless steel cornucopia’. Our main character has the fear of taking too much of just one item and missing out on all the others, so he often ends up taking up a variety of side dishes that do not combine well with one another.

On this occasion, he manages to combine Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Cajun, and American food. The whole episode finally makes him realize that life is like a smorgasbord itself, with so many choices. He compares himself to a schizophrenic relative Sybil in trying to feed so many personalities (Lewis, 1999, 296). At the same time, he wonders how other people make choices out of the stupendous array of dishes available, and what drives their decisions. In the end, he comes to the realization that we each have been allotted a different amount of time by the Creator, yet devoting our lives to one choice or one career path prevents us from taking other paths in life.

The author in this piece is displaying a common human feeling of regret at not being able to experience all the choices that life gives. It is not greed but curiosity. There are too many choices and too little time. We must all make our choices and stick with them if we are to accomplish something in life.