Consuming at the Right Time

This morning I woke up and decided I wanted dim sum.  So, I thought to myself, the new place two block from my apartment just opened, and they start serving at ten.  My husband and I made coffee, relaxed and fought our hunger until the grand hour arrived. I had hiked all day yesterday and was famished.
As we arrived, however, we were the only people approaching. And it was a strange feeling. My husband turned and said to me, "You know, dim sum never really gets busy until 11, especially on this side of town."

And alas, he was right. The problem with an empty restaurant for dim sum is the flow of the food, the experience. No guests means no constant traffic of fresh, hot dumplings that I delight in consuming. It wasn't the right time, and we decided it was better not to force it, knowing we wouldn't get the right experience.

We drove down the street a ways and approached the Brief Encounter, a cafe we'd never tried before, and ate a hearty breakfast in a busy, friendly, fun diner environment.  I was somewhat disappointed at first because it was not my initial craving, when I realized I was more infatuated with the experience than what I was eating, and that the particular place we were in satisfied my urge for that atmosphere. I happily paid for my breakfast, and did not think about our failed attempt until someone asked me how dim sum went.

Sometimes our consumption is closely related to time. Being aware of the timing of a purchase can contribute to overall financial well being and prevent a lot of regret.  I like to call this the Strawberries in December rule. You may want to eat strawberries more than anything, but you just shouldn't do it, because no matter what, they won't be satisfying.  Find a reasonable alternative.