This is were I think my mis-steak was made. I started off with the upscale version of something that while not wholly authentic was very americanized from a comfort, 'class', and decadence standpoint. Cloth table coverings, subdued lighting, excellent service, and lack of concern for the actual price of something are general indicators of a 'quality' dining experience. This then becomes my ideal, my perfect version of what this should be, whether it is authentic or just a created version to fit my romanticized needs (and to convince me to lay-out an outrageous sum of cash).
Last year we tried Master Grillers in Frisco. MIS-STEAK! Even though we'd been told it was good, we were told by folks who had never been to any Currascaria but that. My expectations were dashed... AND I was sick for a week, the service was horrible, and the price was not all that much better (about $25 a head for lunch). I swore, if we were doing that again... it'd be the 'real' deal at Texas de Brazil.
This year, Telly found an awesome website called restaurant.com where you can buy a gift certificate for 1-10% of the cost depending on the promo code you come up with. She found this place called 'The Brazilian Cowboy' (http://thebraziliancowboy.com/)with an awesome deal on a $25 gift certificate requiring a minimum $35 purchase and automatic 18% gratuity... It cost $1 to get. The price per head was $19.95.
Not bad... we made it out of there for $21.32 (including tip). Now here's the best part, it was total low rent. Paper table covering, rickety tables (Telly's water spilled by itself), the oddest collection of people you'd ever see, but good service, good food, and alot of entertainment. Here's the thing, it was here I realized the truth of it all.
Now here is the truth, the authentic version of gaucho meat is much less posh and austere than even last night. It came from Brazilian cowboys cooking meat on sticks in a campfire. In it's simplest form, it is about the meat and the companionship. The rest has been added to make it comfortable and marketable to us - so we as consumers will buy it.
Apply this concept to anything, but for now let's roll with my favorite topic as of late - worship. We come to a group worship setting with expectations of how this thing should roll, based on past experiences and personal preferences - very few IF ANY which are based on the genuine deal in its simplest and purest form. Aren't we hung up on what we think worship ought to be rather than really exploring what worship is? Aren't we stuck to a romanticized americanized (dare I say) consumer-based model of something designed just for us? If you don't believe so, look around some Sunday morning at the stuff, the set-up and the programming, it has a price both economic and spiritually - these buildings cost money and this crowd driven 'feed-me' experience costs the heart.
It's time to get around the campfire, enjoy some meat and some companionship. Don't pay the big price tag for something that can be obtained in a better form. Yeah, the metaphor works for worship - and life too... because they are the same thing.
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