see you next tuesday

I was cleaning up my table and saw a sticker sitting on there.

As a goer-to-events, gimme-your-sticker type of guy,

I figured it’ll go in the drawer with the other one-off stickers of real people with real stories and real interactions that I look back on in a year and say “ohhhh yeah” or completely forget.

I picked it up and saw a rat on it.

(Like, the design of a rat on the sticker. Not a real-life rat).

The sticker says “See you next Tuesday.” With a rat on it.

I immediately started journaling on the back of the sticker itself- because lately I’ve been doing my best to collect stories and sentiments for the sake of it.

The sticker is from a Mexican joint called Juntos, which is one of the vendors at Element Eatery, a food hall/bar place that I host Music Bingo at every Tuesday.

Nick is the owner (I'm 99% sure, and he's told me so forgive me if I'm wrong). Regardless, he takes a lot of pride in his food. I struck up a conversation once, because I enjoy hot sauce. They make all of their own hot sauces, and they’re on fire. Before I finish this sentiment, here is their online description:

Juntos means “together,” and that’s the point. We’re a taco-stand style spot with fine-dining standards—scratch-made salsas, carefully seasoned proteins, and details that matter. Known for our gourmet Crunchwraps, gourmet tacos, house-made salsas, deep-fried Oreos, and seasonal horchata, we take comfort food and elevate it with high-quality ingredients and fine-dining execution. Weekly promotions include Taco + Tequila Tuesday with $2 tacos and tequila specials via The Garden bar. Grab tacos, grab friends, and let’s eat.

Bravo. Well, he likes that I enjoy their food and their hot sauces. There’s another guy who works the kitchen (whose name I forget right now but he’s a legend) and they like me because I spent time discussing the hot sauces. And I always get the same thing. A chicken quesadilla. With a side of whichever hot sauces we discuss at the time.

There was a night when I finished my shift, and entered a “Hot Ones” type challenge – as in, signed myself up for one that they are/were planning. I was like, “you guys, I can do it.”

Mind you, I LOVE the hot sauces. But I literally get home, dip the corner of my quesadilla into each one, then drink an entire glass of ice water after each bite. But they are GOOD.

Nick hooks me up, and in return I enjoy the quesadillas and offer some friendly exchanges.

My favorite hot sauce, and their crowd pleaser, is called the “See You Next Tuesday.”

It’s ironic because I literally will see him next Tuesday, when I host Music Bingo.

Maybe two months ago, I told him “I need to stop getting quesadillas every week I’m trying to be healthy.”

When I approached their window this week with my friend Tay, Nick mentioned that he and the other chef (whose name I swear I will get next week- legend), were talking about me because I hadn’t been there in a while. He recalled that I said, months ago, probably drunkenly, that I was trying to be healthy. He hooked us both up with chicken quesadillas and hot sauces, then gave us the stickers.

There are 3 morals to this story:

1.     I did not clean off my kitchen table, because I encountered ONE object then wrote a think piece on it.

2.     Friendly connection and kindness are so important, inspiring and vast- to the point that I sincerely think I’ve found my purpose in putting these stories into words.

3.     GO TO JUNTOS AT ELEMENT EATERY AND TRY THE SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY.

Xo, bg