A conversation in a campus cafeteria

Narrator
Listen to a conversation in a campus cafeteria.

Alf: Will you pay?

Betty: Yeah.

A: I'll get the trays, then.

B: OK. Thanks.

A: Here you are. Ladies first.

B: Ah. Mmm. Lessee...what've they got for salads? Caesar...spinach...garden....

A: What's the difference? They're all mostly lettuce anyway.

B: Maybe, but I like... croutons.. Caesar's for me.... Oh, hand me some, uh, oil-and-vinegar, will you?

A: Here. Hmm... And the lettuce looks wilted. Fruit for me, I guess.

B: Grapes? I thought you didn't like them.

A: I don't like the green ones, that's all.

B: Oh.

A: And lessee.... Today's entrees are- Salisbury steak...buffalo wings...filet of sole...and uh, veal cutlets. Hmm. I guess I'll have fish again.

B: Why? Low cholesterol?

A: No, it just looks better than the rest. Like it might be edible.

B: (Laughs) I see. (To the server) Give me the veal please, with, uh, mashed potatoes and, um, string beans, I guess.

A: Did you finish your homework?

B: For Art History? Sort of. I've got my talk down, I think. But I've still got to make copies of one of his paintings for the class. I thought I'd do that right after lunch- it won't take a minute.

A: Who've you got again?

B: Turner. I found a really great print of his- "Landscape with Walton Bridges" it's called. (To the server) Oh, thank you.

A: (To the server) And I'll have the sole. And fries, and, uh, succotash. (To Betty) Are you going to make color copies? They're not cheap.

B: Yeah, but they're worth it. "Walton Bridges" is really fantastic. I'll show you when we sit down.

A: OK. (To the server) Oh. Thanks.

B: Lessee...silverware....

A: Yeah...mm...napkin? Here.

B: Oh, thanks, yeah. And, um... iced tea for me.

A: Mm...and me, too. Hmm. All right. OK, let's find a table!

B: Um. Oh- how about over there, by the window?

A: Yes, that's good. I need some table room.

B: What for?

A: Uh, well... I've still got some organizing to do. Same class.

B: Ah. (They sit down to eat) Who are you talking on?

A: Dali. Chow down!

B: Eh?

A: Salvador Dali. You know, the surrealist. The guy with the moustache.

B: (laughs) Oh, yeah! The guy with the moustache. Do you think he was crazy?

A: Crazy like a fox, maybe. He made a lot of money later on his career, cranking out trash for the most part. He put on a real, um, show, though, didn't he?

B: (laughs) Sure did.

A: But I really admire his imagination- some really wild stuff, those melted clocks and hollow beasts. Very evocative images. And actually, he did a lot of research. Do you know the story about his Corpus Hypercubus?

B: His what?

A: It's a cubist painting of the Crucifixion- you know, of Christ on the Cross.

B: No, what's the story?

A: Well, you'll have to wait for class- I'm still working on it.

B: Aw, c'mon!

A: No, I can't, really. It's about the mathematics he used, but I've gotta tell it right. And I gotta get that together right after lunch! Can I see your Turner print, though?

B: Oh. Yes, sure. I've got it right, um...here.

A: Wow.

B: Isn't that great? Look at that light!

A: It's so Italianate- the pastoral atmosphere is so thick you could cut it with a knife! Turner's so modern, isn't he? All colour and mood, and almost no form, except for these wispy trees here. Truly amazing! There's every imaginable shade of gold in there, isn't there?

B: Can you believe this was painted before the middle of the 19th century?

A: Really, eh? Are you going to eat the rest of that salad?

B: No, you can have it. Here. Are you going to stay here and finish your presentation?

A: Yeah. We've still got over an hour before class.

B: OK, then. I'm going to just run over to the Campus Shop and get this xeroxed and then come back. How many do I need? Ten?

A: Plus one for Dr Auburn- that's eleven. But if they're too expensive, I don't need one. I've seen it already.

B: (laughs) It's not going to break me. You get one too. See you.

A: Yeah, OK. See you here in a few minutes then.