At dinner with his partner, Hugh, Sedaris is upset about “fifteen-word entrees” (120), one of what he considers the many overly complicated features of fine dining in New York City. He remarks upon how well known American dishes, such as lamb chops and steak in fancy restaurants in New York City’s SoHo district, can be rendered unrecognizable. He describes the transformation, “I’d order the skirt steak with a medley of suffocated peaches, but I’m put off by the aspirin sauce. The sea scallops look good until I’m told they’re served in a broth of malt liquor and mummified lychee nuts” (121). Turning down another potentially lackluster dessert after a dissatisfying meal with Hugh, they look for food that will satiate them before their movie. They come across a hot dog stand; Sedaris determines that while hot dogs do not have the glamorous allure of the elaborate foods he consumed before, they are “simple and timeless” (124) and most importantly, recognizable as food.

Alisha, Sedaris’s longtime friend from North Carolina, has always visited and stayed with Sedaris in New York City. A respectful and easygoing friend who acclimates to Sedaris’s schedule when she visits, Sedaris mistakenly assumes that Alisha’s friend, Bonnie will be just as easygoing.