I’m standing outside my favorite restaurant in Pasadena. The wait is an hour and a half. Around me, time feels louder than usual. Couples scroll on their phones and glance repeatedly toward the host stand, as if eye contact might speed things up. Families negotiate among themselves—who’s hungry, who’s tired, who’s losing patience. Groups of friends laugh, then pause, then quietly complain, lowering their voices as if the restaurant might overhear their frustration. No one is
