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There are many people in this world who are believers...those who roam the streets of NYC, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, LA, etc. and are drawn to a 4 by 6 inch piece of plastic that hangs proudly on the glass doors of restaurants. It is not made of gold nor silver...but rather a plastic-type material that has been weathered over time by the sun's beating rays. Although it's color has begun to fade and its corners are peeling...we are still drawn to it...like lab mice to cheese. We pay homage to it...as though it was God himself...even if we are atheists. Upon it 10 letters and 4 numbers appear...the letters forming two words and the numbers one number. Although the font of the number is similar to that of the two words...the number is almost always overlooked...it seems to have no use...no importance...no value. The words, which can be read 3 blocks away with the naked eye, read "Zagat Rated". The stamp of approval....the golden ticket...the winning bingo card. The sticker screams to all passers on the streets, "Within these glass doors lies the finest dishes from across the world..ones that only culinary extraordinaries dare make." Most of us are lured in...expecting just that..."fine dishes from across the world," in spite of establishment being named Larry's Sandwiches and More.

I used to be a believer...a believer in these 4 by 6 inch pieces of plastic...until I realized that those 4 digit numbers are important, as a 2006 Zagat Rated sticker was about as valuable today as last week's TV Guide. But for those that continue to be drawn to the mystic powers of those two five letter words...enjoy!