Absolutely love the intro: the family dinner scene was *chef's kiss* perfection. The tense atmosphere from Alice's anxiety about what the dinner could possibly be for was well laid out, and the unveil about it being her parent's finances and what that could mean for her schooling options brings an interesting framing to Alice's overall attitude about her school. Being the not-rich kid going to a rich-kid school is always tense, but when your family's okay-but-not-that-great status comes to the front of a child's mind, it makes that experience even worse.
I loved the details about the food served at the dinner; not so much for the listing and descriptions of the food itself, but of how Alice's mom was thinking about how much she could do with potential leftovers, and the difference quality of food service of the place they were at versus the place wealthier folks went to eat at. The little details about who else was at the restaurant and what they were there for compared to Alice and her family was a great juxtaposition to enliven the setting, too.
I loved the details about the food served at the dinner; not so much for the listing and descriptions of the food itself, but of how Alice's mom was thinking about how much she could do with potential leftovers, and the difference quality of food service of the place they were at versus the place wealthier folks went to eat at. The little details about who else was at the restaurant and what they were there for compared to Alice and her family was a great juxtaposition to enliven the setting, too.