I had some leftover pasta salad placed in an ice bucket in my room at the Hampton Inn in Hays, Kansas some years ago. Before I left the room that morning, I surrounded the pasta salad (which was sealed in a plastic container and was placed in a transparent plastic bag) with fresh cold ice and placed the cover on the ice bucket.

I was hungry that afternoon and looked forward to eating that pasta salad. When I returned to my room later that afternoon, the inside of the ice bucket was dry and empty. I was irritated that whomever from housekeeping serviced my room made an executive decision to dispose of (or possibly eat?!?) my pasta salad.

Because Hays, Kansas is not exactly the global center of gourmet cuisine, I had to resort to patronizing a fast-food restaurant in an attempt to satisfy my hunger as best as possible...