I approached as “a stranger needing a lighter.” Craig obliged with performative friendliness. Within minutes, I had him monologuing about his keto diet and his side hustle selling candles shaped like power tools. Every sentence was a breadcrumb.
I ordered a booth in the corner. Watched them first. That’s the key. You don’t just eat straights—you observe the marinade. diary of eating straights 27
The eating is never physical, of course. It’s conceptual. I consume the confidence they mistake for character. I digest the certainty they call common sense. By the end of the night, Craig had agreed with me that maybe empathy isn’t just “woke nonsense,” and that his fear of foreign films might actually be fear of himself. I approached as “a stranger needing a lighter
I left him staring into his beer, confused but lighter. Empty calories for him. A feast for me. I ordered a booth in the corner
I found myself at a noisy sports bar on the edge of town—tucked between two furniture outlets and a car wash that never seems to close. The place was packed with straights: laughter loud and defensive, beers held like shields, conversations revolving around mortgages, fantasy football, and the suspicious softness of new towels.
Entry 27