Light Hearted

I have a favorite pizza joint that I frequent pretty regularly. It’s a great little spot that lets you pile on as many toppings as you want at no extra charge. As a vegetarian, I really appreciate having that flexibility to load up on all the veggie goodies.

But there’s one little quirk about this place that always makes me chuckle. Despite how often I dine there, they can never seem to get my name right when I call in an order for pickup. My name is Vipin – not terribly complicated, right? And yet, the different permutations they’ve scribbled on the pizza boxes over the months are endlessly entertaining.

There was Vitin. And Vince. Also Vipon at one point. But my favorite might have been the latest innovative twist: Vikan. With a K! They really went for it on that one.

Honestly, part of me looks forward to picking up my order just to see what creative new interpretation of my name awaits. It’s like a little game we play. I have to admire their commitment to mangling those two simple syllables every single time.

When they call out the name over the loudspeaker, I kind of have to pause and think, “Is that…me? Could they possibly be butchering my name in yet another original way?”

I don’t know if the staff is just having a laugh, or if there’s some language barrier that increases the difficulty level. But either way, it keeps things interesting and gives me and my friends something to chuckle about amid all the pizza deliciousness.

So if you ever find yourself at some Pizza Paradise and they ask for a name, maybe just tell them “Josh” or “Amy” to keep things simple. For me though, I’m always eager to see which alternative universe version of Vipin I’ll be this time!