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Letter: Free lunch in Port Coquitlam bowled them over

The Editor, Last Friday, my sister and I enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Iron Bowl Japanese restaurant in Port Coquitlam. After the meal, the waiter dropped off our bill and briefly left.
sushi
Assorted sashimi. photo Paul McGrath, North Shore News

The Editor,

Last Friday, my sister and I enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Iron Bowl Japanese restaurant in Port Coquitlam.

After the meal, the waiter dropped off our bill and briefly left. We perused it, took out the money and placed the cash on the platter. When the server returned, smiling, he informed us that the man sitting across the table had bought our lunch.

Dumbfounded, I commented something like, "What? Are you sure?" There had been no earlier communication with this customer, not even eye contact, although we had discreetly tried to determine what bowl he had ordered.

Sure enough, that gentleman had paid for our lunch. That made my day. What a surprise!

The waiter and a couple other diners were quite amazed as well. Apparently, this customer was a regular at the Iron Bowl. For much of the afternoon, I chuckled to myself at this man's surprise act of kindness, trying to figure out why he did it. Talk about paying it forward.

Much appreciated, sir.

Don Lee, Coquitlam