The best part about eating at any Chinese restaurant is the fortune cookie at the end of the meal.

That and the buffet. And buffet was where it was at this weekend.

Despite the Taste of Veishea activities running along Welch Avenue we decided to venture out along South Duff to the King Buffet.

Since King Buffet runs an all-you-can-eat buffet all day long, we decided it was the place to go.

At $6.31 for the buffet, the meal seemed a touch pricey, but when we realized that the buffet included a drink (Pepsi products and free refills) and soft-serve ice-cream for dessert, we were happy with the price.

King Buffet’s food is typical Chinese buffet fare — mostly bland but served in large enough quantities that the taste doesn’t matter. It’s also served in such a variety that you never notice that all you’re eating is sweet-and-sour chicken by the metric ton.

With a clean, plain dining area, King Buffet is not a place you go for the atmosphere.

It’s a place you go to gorge yourself — not that there’s anything wrong with that.

“A good time to finish up old tasks,” was Tom’s fortune. Though we differed in our interpretation of the message, we both agreed that it was not a good fortune.

“A modest man never talks to himself,” was Pete’s fortune. Weird, to say the least, and also mildly disturbing, in our opinion. Lucky numbers: 06, 12, 23, 35, 42, 51.

As we finished our meals, I casually remarked to Tom on the free desserts. When he found out there was soft-serve, suddenly the place became a mecca. With chocolate syrup and sprinkles, the dessert was definitely tasty.

The King Buffet serves decent Chinese food in large quantities at a decent price. Isn’t that what all college students like? If it is, stop by the King Buffet at least once, when you feel like eating ’til you burst.

Peter Gudlewski is a sophomore in English from Davenport. Tom Hanks is a sophomore in computer science from Coal Valley, Ill.