ghosts and the law
Owners of a Japanese restaurant in Orlando want to break their lease because the building is haunted, and the landlord is taking them to court. Therefore, the defense could hinge on trying to prove the existence of ghosts.
Perhaps this could ascends through the courts and make for one hell of a welcome for the new chief justice. Maybe the ghost of Rehnquist could even be brought in for consultation.
This also reminds me of two stories:
1. I worked as a temp for a while at a large mobile home manufacturing company just outside Knoxville. They also resold used mobile homes, and a woman once tried to get out of her mortgage by claiming that her previously occupied trailer was haunted.
Yes, I'm also thinking a remake of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken starring Jeff Foxworthy.
The company laughed it off, and I suppose the woman never thought to take up the matter in court.
2. We have our very own haunted Asian restaurant here in middle Tennessee. I haven’t been there in quite some time, and I might very well be confusing it with another place, but I seem to recall that it was the “Asia Chinese Restaurant” in Smyrna. It is your typical Chinese buffet with crab legs and Jell-O offered alongside the traditional dishes, and it sits in a nondescript building on what turns into Murfreesboro Road. Mrs. Camino and I would eat there every once in a while when we first got married. We even had a sort of paranormal experience there once but thought nothing of it at the time, as it was long before I had heard anything about the ghost.
It happened like this: The wife and I were quite poor at the time and were taking full advantage of the “all you can eat” nature of the buffet. In keeping with the cost effectiveness, we drank only water. However, each time we returned from the buffet Mrs. Camino found her water replaced with 7up. We figured that the first time was an honest mistake and pointed it out to the waiter. He told us in broken English that he hadn’t replaced the drink, and we returned to our sesame chicken and egg drop soup in only slight confusion.
The second time it happened it was a bit more disturbing. Once again, it only happened to Mrs. Camino, and our waiter was just as confused about the whole matter. We were becoming less hungry with each plateful and had more energy and attention to devote to the matter. I surmised that it was a Chinese idea of a joke. These people had spent quite a bit of time under Communist rule, and their sense of humor was understandably diminished.
Mrs. Camino, as usual, did not buy my made up on the spot explanation of things. We made short work of round 2, and she kept her eyes on the table as we went back for dessert.
I had the fried bananas, frozen yogurt, and some of those little donut balls. I don’t remember what Mrs. Camino had, but I do remember the look of confusion on her face as she tasted the third 7up to have magically replaced her water.
“I was watching the table,” she said.
“Have you ever seen any of the Bruce Lee films?” I asked her. “These guys are quick, and they can break your neck or switch your beverage in the blink of an eye. They’ve been doing it for thousands of years, and you really have to respect that.”
She still didn’t buy it, but I was perfectly happy with my deductions until someone told me about the ghost years later.
An elderly Asian woman is often seen sitting by one of the tables by the window. People will notice her there and think nothing of it until she disappears in front of them. She has also been seen sitting at the window when the restaurant is closed and supposed to be empty. She just sits there and disappears. She does no other tricks, and she would make for the subject of one really lame horror movie unless someone is deathly allergic to 7up.
Then again, maybe it is just some really fast old lady who is able to dart around the room without anyone seeing her move, and my original theory therefore holds true.
Perhaps this could ascends through the courts and make for one hell of a welcome for the new chief justice. Maybe the ghost of Rehnquist could even be brought in for consultation.
This also reminds me of two stories:
1. I worked as a temp for a while at a large mobile home manufacturing company just outside Knoxville. They also resold used mobile homes, and a woman once tried to get out of her mortgage by claiming that her previously occupied trailer was haunted.
Yes, I'm also thinking a remake of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken starring Jeff Foxworthy.
The company laughed it off, and I suppose the woman never thought to take up the matter in court.
2. We have our very own haunted Asian restaurant here in middle Tennessee. I haven’t been there in quite some time, and I might very well be confusing it with another place, but I seem to recall that it was the “Asia Chinese Restaurant” in Smyrna. It is your typical Chinese buffet with crab legs and Jell-O offered alongside the traditional dishes, and it sits in a nondescript building on what turns into Murfreesboro Road. Mrs. Camino and I would eat there every once in a while when we first got married. We even had a sort of paranormal experience there once but thought nothing of it at the time, as it was long before I had heard anything about the ghost.
It happened like this: The wife and I were quite poor at the time and were taking full advantage of the “all you can eat” nature of the buffet. In keeping with the cost effectiveness, we drank only water. However, each time we returned from the buffet Mrs. Camino found her water replaced with 7up. We figured that the first time was an honest mistake and pointed it out to the waiter. He told us in broken English that he hadn’t replaced the drink, and we returned to our sesame chicken and egg drop soup in only slight confusion.
The second time it happened it was a bit more disturbing. Once again, it only happened to Mrs. Camino, and our waiter was just as confused about the whole matter. We were becoming less hungry with each plateful and had more energy and attention to devote to the matter. I surmised that it was a Chinese idea of a joke. These people had spent quite a bit of time under Communist rule, and their sense of humor was understandably diminished.
Mrs. Camino, as usual, did not buy my made up on the spot explanation of things. We made short work of round 2, and she kept her eyes on the table as we went back for dessert.
I had the fried bananas, frozen yogurt, and some of those little donut balls. I don’t remember what Mrs. Camino had, but I do remember the look of confusion on her face as she tasted the third 7up to have magically replaced her water.
“I was watching the table,” she said.
“Have you ever seen any of the Bruce Lee films?” I asked her. “These guys are quick, and they can break your neck or switch your beverage in the blink of an eye. They’ve been doing it for thousands of years, and you really have to respect that.”
She still didn’t buy it, but I was perfectly happy with my deductions until someone told me about the ghost years later.
An elderly Asian woman is often seen sitting by one of the tables by the window. People will notice her there and think nothing of it until she disappears in front of them. She has also been seen sitting at the window when the restaurant is closed and supposed to be empty. She just sits there and disappears. She does no other tricks, and she would make for the subject of one really lame horror movie unless someone is deathly allergic to 7up.
Then again, maybe it is just some really fast old lady who is able to dart around the room without anyone seeing her move, and my original theory therefore holds true.
posted by Rex L. Camino at 8:48 AM
7 Comments:
Maybe we can get TAPS from the Sci-Fi Channel show Ghosthuners to come check it out.
The kitchen at Temple Hills Country Club is totally haunted.
Dude, Ghost & Mr. Chicken is one of my favourite movies.
Don Knotts rules.
Some people in the overnight cleaning crew at Opry Mills have quit after supposedly seeing the ghost of Mrs. McGavock floating up and down the halls a few feet off the ground.
I can't wait for Halloween.
I haven't seen The Ghost and Mr. Chicken in years, but I loved it as a kid.
Don Knotts does indeed rule. Just try watching any of the "Andy Griffith Show" episodes they did without him. Unbearable.
I'm going to let the whole "Chinese people have a strange sense of humor thing slide" but I will say this:
We are a culture that believe in ghosts and spirits.
I don't feel or experience it as much here in the U.S., maybe because a lot of people here don't think much of ghosts but when I'm home? yeeegh.
That's so creepy... I hope the all you can eat places here aren't haunted! That'd kill my experience.
Muffy, I meant it more as a "someone who has lived under Communism for quite a while and is now experiencing America and therefore has a different sense of humor than someone who has grown up in America"'s idea of a joke. I meant nothing derogatory about the Chinese people, but I really didn't phrase it correctly. Sorry if it was even the least bit offensive.
However, I think that there are large pockets of people in the US who believe in ghosts and spirits. On the whole, the idea is scoffed at. But I love to ask people individually (after I've known them for a while, of course) if they have even seen a ghost or had a paranormal experience. Very often, they have or at least know someone credible who has--though they would be very reluctant to talk about it with anyone they didn't know too well.
I just had to reply to your ghost entry. I must ask the skeptical ones if they believe in God? If you say yes, how do you know He's real if you haven't seen him? Same goes for ghosts. How do you know they're NOT real if you haven't seen them? I, for one, am a Christian and a firm believer in ghosts after seeing and having various experiences with them. 'Nuf said! LoL!
Rex, by the way, I love your site. I, too, will be bookmarking it and checking back with you.
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