A Table for How Many? at Seki

User "Alton," Wikimedia Commons

​To my left, a nine-year-old boy stared intently at his Nintendo DS, his fingers moving a mile a minute. Next to him, his teenage sister rapid-fire texted her friends until she sadly announced that her phone battery had died. To my right, a college professor played on his Blackberry, trying to learn how to Tweet on his phone. This was "necessary" because the businessman across the table had just Tweeted about some people the professor might want to meet after his move to Amsterdam. My cell phone merely makes phone calls. During our meal at Seki (6335 Delmar Boulevard), I was forced to talk archaically -- you know, using my mouth -- to the people sitting near me. Because I missed out on the joy of typing while eating, I'm going to share with you what I would have written:

Arrived at Seki. They forgot our reservation, but they are putting together tables for us.

Huge menu. Lots of choices for people who don't want sushi! Great place to take a group where some don't like raw fish.

Server is being very attentive. Gave us extra sushi menus so we could each fill out our own.

Wow! These Japanese-style large oysters are tasty! Too bad you aren't here to try some (not that I'd share)!

Sushi is coming out piecemeal.You can't expect everything at the same time when there is only one sushi chef. No one seems to mind.

Fish is fresh. People seem really happy. Everyone is talking about coming back to try the ramen. (It's only available at lunch.)

Figuring out this check is a pain! They listed all the sushi together. We need to go back to the menu to figure out how much everyone owes.

FroYo is next door. We're thinkin' about it. But guess we'll go home to the baby.

How would you feel if at a group dinner (like on a plane) you were told to turn off all portable electronic devices? Leave a comment and let me know!

Stefani Pollack is the author of the Cupcake Project. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences twice a month.