As it happens, the Dorchester Senior Center, tucked into the basement of an Orthodox synagogue, is a cheerful little place. It has a chatty atmosphere where people tend to cluster at tables with their ethnic ilk (Asian, Russian, African-American and so forth). I am disappointed when we are assigned to dine by ourselves, and our attempts to bridge the gap between tables are only intermittently successful (though we do learn that baked chicken legs—Wednesday—is a favorite.)
Food-wise, and air-conditioning-wise, the afternoon is a success (wilted salad aside), and my son would be content to stay until the place closes at 4, despite a total absence of kids’ activities. Socially, though, it probably takes a while to break in. We were the only ones there for cooling purposes, and most folks here seem to be regulars who know each other from the knitting groups, walking clubs and boisterous mah jongg games the center sponsors. When we take out our Pokemon cards, several people pause by the table and smile but nobody takes the step of joining in.
That’s okay, because we’ll be back, possibly on Wednesday for baked chicken. On the way out, we learn that the place has a wireless router. Wonder how the coffee is.