Today, I was forced to go to pizza buffet – an experience I try to avoid (especially on a business trip without my kids).   I wasn’t there long before I remembered why.

Being the first week of summer vacation, the Pizza Hut was filled with youngsters.   There was a group of boys, approximately 9 -12 years old.

They had fire in their eyes as they intently studied the buffet line.   With all the good pizzas picked over, the boys were on the edge of their seats with anticipation.  As Flo (the waitress) brought out fresh pizzas, the boys pounced out of their chairs with cat-like reflexes.   They took remarkable angles to cut off all the middle-aged buffet veterans who were trying to beat the young warriors to the spread.    The boys positioned their bodies in the “box out” position that an NBA power forward would use on Dwight Howard.   In seconds, all the fresh cheese and pepperoni slices were scooped up like Amazon piranhas feeding on a bludgeoned pig.

When the feeding frenzy ended, I stood with an empty plate with the same cold, petrified mushroom pizza as my only option.  I stared at the boys with part disdain, part admiration.

Yes, the pizza buffet is the modern-day hunting grounds.  The young warriors train themselves for a lifetime of overeating and gluttony.