Before our days of our empty nest, we liked to visit the local malls from time to time. We really liked the Mall of Memphis, which is no more.

The thing is, most of the malls had a place, generally called a food court. At the food court, there were generally close to 10 or 12 different places to eat.

The rest of the family didn’t much care for Asian food, so it was usually the only time I got to eat fried rice and egg rolls. My wife went to the Chick-fil-A. The older son preferred just a hamburger and fries. The younger almost always made a beeline for the pizza place.

A short time later, we gathered at a table and enjoyed our varied lunch together. Not only did we all enjoy the specific food we liked, it always seemed to be the best of what we liked.

Over the years, I have considered it. I have wondered. I’ve given it a lot of thought. Could it be that several restaurants could get together and build something of a free standing food court with the same benefits.

Okay. I’m only thinking about it. I have learned over my many years not to expect too much. And I do believe that is expecting too much. What a shame.