At least he can polish the fenders
I started waiting tables again last night. I figured that between my full time job, school, and planning a wedding I have plenty of free time to serve people food, just for fun. I mean really, anyone who tells you that they don't wait tables just for fun is completely lying to you. It has been a long time since I have worn an apron, so last night provoked some interesting reflections. Overall, it was the proverbial 'riding a bicycle' it just came flooding back. My little sayings, my fast waitress walk, and my balancing prowess, all returned for what felt like an encore ballet performance. I am not however, in peak server shape, meaning being able to stand for hours on end, on floors that were not designed for the men and women that would be using them the most. I left with tired legs and feet, but they will adjust, they always have. I don't know how long this little stint will last, and thankfully it will only be one night a week, but in many ways it feels like I have reunited with an old friend. A friend that on some days would beat me down, physically and emotionally, but a friend that brought me a lot of laughs, introduced me to a lot of friends, and brought me cash money. And who doesn't love that friend?
8 comments:
I think this world might be a better place if everyone, at least once in their lives, did a stint waiting tables. It teaches you a lot about people and more importantly the way you treat people.
well said ssb. I have a few other things that folks should try just once;
- change your own oil (it might teach you to question what your mechanic tells you)
- shovel your own driveway by hand (give you a better appreciation for the folks you pay to do things around your house)
- ride with an ambulance for a night (duh!)
- teach a class of high school or fifth graders (see how underpaid teachers really are)
I could go on for hours about this subject, but you are both so, so right. Waiting tables may not be brain surgery, but there is a little more that goes on behind the tray than people might imagine. Having a little bit of that knowledge would be helpful when you are wondering why your "drink is taking so long." Grrrr. You can tell alot about a person by the way they treat their server.
I think that is a great list. It is amazing how much easier life would be if people just looked beyond themselves and their own abilities. One night, while bartending, Dave was approached by a man who was looking to get a job behind the bar. Dave told him what time he should come back to leave his restaurant resume. The guy was shocked and said that he had no restaurant experience, but that he was a lawyer. Meaning, obviously if I can practice law I can pour drinks. Right, and I will be at your office tomorrow morning to start filing some briefs, or whatever lawyer like things you lawyers do. Oy. People are idiots, and I should obviously stop here.
Who are you associating with # 4? Who can afford to pay someone to shovel their driveways? I mean who can even afford a driveway?
Anonymous...Sorry, but your comment doesn't make any sense.
i cannot even imagine going back to waitressing at this point with my flabby lazy ass.
all i can remember is the time i sprained my ankle b/c i was soaking my feet after waitressing for a zillion hours in the living room and i forgot my towel and i had to step over the dog gate into the slippery kitchen to get one... or the time i burned my entire palms and inside of all my fingers on BOTH hands because i grabbed the handle of a stove drawer to open it without having known that the grill below it had been pulled out and heated it up to 200 degrees moments before... ouch ouch ouch. waitressing was soooo painful.
bartending on the other hand was a pure joy and in sharp contrast to waitressing the more sarcastic and nasty you are, the bigger your tips are. or at least that's how it was for me!
carolyn - i wouldn't call bartending a pure joy (bardrinking is a pure joy), but i know where you're coming from.
Uh, no my comment makes perfect sense. See comment Number two above: "shovel your own driveway by hand (give you a better appreciation for the folks you pay to do things around your house)". This was a list of things rich people need to do at least once in their lives.
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