The restaurant was very busy yesterday and, since I had awakened unable to breathe at 3:30 am with what turned out to be a head cold, I just let the adrenalin kick in and carry me through the day. After my shift the boss (and Nurse Eddie) poured me a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey, which I downed while sucking a slice of lime. The effect on my throat was immediate and I didn't cough on the walk home or all evening.
We were busy again today (which was strange) and we had a great team working the kitchen and dining room. The winds coming in off the ocean were about 25 mph, making it seem colder than it actually was. Without those winds the sun would have made it a perfect Autumn Sunday.
By the time I walked home the sun was setting and the winds had died down. Daylight Savings Time ended this morning with the darkness devouring the light for more hours than I would like. Still, 6 weeks from now, on December 21st, the days will begin getting longer again. Hey! Gotta look on the bright side, right?
On a whole other subject; I've been picking up what I determined to be bigoted, racist comments from servers lately and I finally confronted them today. None or them want to wait on Indian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, (yes, I know) or Russians from large cities, such as Moscow. The servers contend that these ethnic groups are the worst when it comes to leaving a tip, or gratuity. When I worked as a waiter in NYC years ago, this was not a problem, so I will be keeping an eye on this and report my findings here.
There is a boneless chicken breast just waiting to be sauteed in garlic butter and rosemary. There are also olives awaiting ice cubes and gin, thank you very much.
And so it goes.
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Coincidentally yesterday I had roast pork loin with fresh rosemary. Delicious! If you need any fresh rosemary let me know. I have plenty.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, who leaves the best tips? I always leave at least 25 to 30%. Sometimes 50% if I get really exceptional service. Waiting tables is not an easy job. I know that from my short experience as a waiter. If I get good service I go over and above. The only problem is when I'm in with a group some of the others tend to water down the tip when they see I leave a large tip. That's a problem. Cheapskates come in all races.
If you ever read Maddog's blog (He waits in a restaurant in NYC), he comments frequently about tourists from other nations and their lack of tipping. I recall having a letter from my German penpals a few years ago after they had made a trip here. They were complaining about how everyone in America had their had out for a tip.
ReplyDeleteI recently was reading a book in anticipation of a trip in the next year or two and it was noting that in many of these countries both tax and tip are folded into the advertised price of a meal. Perhaps these tourists have not been made aware that it is different here.
Hey, I'm guilty of this myself and I'm a black guy. Years ago, as a server, I found myself thinking the same thing. Then just when I thought I was giving some really crapy service, this Black family leaves me one of the biggest tips ever. Okay, so I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big tipper now that I know how it is to wait on tables. m.