As it was for many phans around the country, Big Cypress for me and my phriends was truly a life-altering experience. We camped South of BC the night before at a glorious place, had zero hassles getting in and out, and felt the magnificent vibe that emanated from that magical place. 

So... after leaving (only took us 2 hours to get from our spot on 1st Street to Motel 6 and the pool off of Alligator Alley!), in a state of sheer bliss and taking a quick swim and nap, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice New Year's dinner. The only place we could find was an Olive Garden. The 6 of us sat at a round table and had the best meal, just laughing and sharing in the vivid memories of the previous 4 days. 

Our waitress was a young local (like 17 or 18) who wanted to go to the show, but her parents had heard bad things, or she couldn't get off work or something like that (my memory on that fades?). Anyway, we talked about how wonderful it was and how we wished that she had been there. 

Finally, it came time for desert and you all know what we were planning to order.  But before we could order, and without the waitress knowing about what had transpired, she brought us a gigantic piece of CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE! Many heads turned as we let out a collective yelp followed by the chant. 

We then explained to her the whole cheesecake experience, and she explained that someone had just told her that we were the cheesecake type of pholks! We passed the cheesecake around to everyone including the waitress. Needless to say, she got a very nice tip.

 - Brian Greenwood