So, you're tellin' me there's a chance.....

In a greedy, stingy population, and with a somewhat cynical mindset, it is nice to see random acts of kindness, regardless of in what form they may come. It is even more nice to see these random acts when they occur in a random environment, filled with somewhat stingy people. A restaurant.
My father and his wife went out to dinner about a week ago. They were seated at the bar because the place was packed, it being a Friday night. They had their pre-dinner drinks, their apps, and their entrees. When my father asked for the bill, at the end of the meal, he was told by the bartender that someone had already taken care of it. My father owns a business, so he assumed it was a colleague, or someone from the neighborhood. He looked around the restaurant, but was met by unfamiliar eyes. He flagged down the bartender, "Hey, can you please tell me who paid our bill," he inquired.
"Love to Sir, but the gentlemen requested that this stay anonymous," replied the man behind the bar.
My father is a pretty persistent, and persuasive man, so after a little convincing, the bartender finally nodded his head toward the end of the bar, where a man sat alone. My father had never seen this man before, and neither had his wife. They grabbed their coats, and walked toward the man, my father reaching for his wallet.
"We'd like to thank you for picking up our tab, but there must be some mistake," my father started in. "I don't think we know one another."
"No, no we don't," the man said, looking up from his Glenlevit on the rocks. "My wife died about a year ago," he began. "We were married for 30 years and I treated her horribly," the man paused to take a healthy pull from his glass. "But everytime we went out to eat, which wasn't very often, she would want to buy a random stranger dinner. So we would. Now since she has been gone, I have tried to honor her memory by doing the same thing when I go out to have a drink or a meal, and tonight, you were the random strangers," the man smiled a sad smile.
My father and his wife sat and talked with the man for 45 minutes or so, and listened to his story. The man encouraged them to keep drinking, or order dessert, but they were content with just listening to him. My father shook his hand, and they left the restaurant, arm in arm.

I met my father for breaksfast this past Saturday, and he told me this story, and I immediately felt so touched. I literally could feel my faith in humanity being restored as he recited the previous weekend's events. That wasn't the end, though.
He and his wife went out to eat on Friday, and again, it was a busy night at a busy restaurant, so they chose to sit at the bar. They were halfway through their meal when an older woman, in her late 70's, wearing thick glasses, a heavy coat, and carrying a large purse, came in to eat by herself. She ordered herself a drink, a full plate of ribs, and dessert. As my father and his wife watched this old woman clean the ribs to the bone, both their minds crossed, and my father's wife turned and said, "Hey, how about we buy her dinner tonight?"
They worked things out with the bartender, and the woman didn't have a clue that it was them. They were already halfway home when the server dropped the check, so they didn't see the look of confusion on her face when she was never handed a bill, only an empty booklet.

These random acts are what makes life so incredible. It is easy to see the world as a very depressing place, especially when faced with the emphasis that people put on money. To know that there are still individuals who enjoy the feeling of helping others more than the recognition that comes with it is truly refreshing.



DISCLAIMER: PLEASE DO NOT GO INTO RESTAURANTS ON BUSY NIGHTS AND EXPECT THE ABOVE MENTIONED SCENARIOS. THESE SCENARIOS WERE REMOTE INCIDENTS, AND IN NO WAY REFLECT THE GENERAL POPULATION OF MOST RESTAURANT-GOERS.

Swine Flu Scare

It has been awhile since I have written anything on this blog, especially anything pertaining to the food/beverage industry, but as I am ending my tour here in Europe, the reality of me taking orders again has never been more real. So, naturally, I am perking up to stories and articles written about my chosen an mastered profession.
In Madrid, Spain, there is a restaurant going out of their way to stop the spread of H1N1, or Swine Flu, in their particular restaurant. The Thai-themed restaurant, Silk and Soya, goes above and beyond the basic health requirements to ensure their customers satisfaction not only in the food, but also in the comfort of their health.
The restaurant employees' temperatures are taken every day when they arrive at work, and there is hand sanitizer in the elevator on the way up to the restaurant, and also at every table. The bathroom doors are always open, the lights turn on automatically, and the faucets are also 'hands-free' ensuring that customers' hands can stay clean. Also, servers can not touch plates directly, and every person involved with preparation of food must wear gloves and a mask. Another precaution that was taken was table placement. All of the tables were moved further from one another to avoid airborne germs from spreading.
While this may seem extreme (especially to certain restaurant owners) in the U.S., this seems very extreme to me, because I have been on European standards for the past five months. There are certain restaurants here where the hygiene is not at the fore-front of the owners' minds. Just yesterday, my server had open-toed high heels while she was serving me. I know that the food will never touch her feet, yet it seemed incredibly inappropriate for a restaurant.
I commend this Spanish restaurant for their efforts, and the feedback from customers has been popular, but I also think that certain precautions are unnecessary due to the fact that an immunity must be built up in order for people to stay healthy. If every patron and employee is responsible for their own hygiene, extreme measures like this are not needed. I also realize, though, that people frequent places they feel comfortable, so, if nothing else, this is a great marketing strategy.

Genius Waitress Moving on in The World

I've done it! I've quit yet another waitressing job, with absolutely no intent of returning to this line of work again! I know the odds are that I'll be back, but I can beat the odds! I am in Switzerland, and it is interesting to go out to eat here. The servers are paid hourly, so tipping is not required. Some might say that tipping is not required in the States, but we all know that they would be wrong. Very wrong. Because tipping is not mandatory, the servers are not always pleasant. For example, we went out for a couple beers the other night, and there were about twelve of us. We all staggered in because we finished our days at different times, and when half of us got there, the server turned to one of us and said, "Jeez, can't you just wait til everyone gets here so you can order at once??? It would be much easier for me!" I wasn't sure what he'd said, because my German consists of three phrases at this point, but when a teammate of mine translated, I was shocked. Easier for him!?!? Well, no shit it would be easier for him, but where and when does it matter what is easier for the help? I'll tell you when and where. Here and now! I asked if the other people I was with were offended, and they said that type of behavior was pretty typical, and they just would not tip him. Here's what's amusing, though. When they tip here, if the total is $30.50, they just say, 'Make it $31.00, and that is the tip. The servers here have no incentive to be polite, and therefore, aren't. It sort of blew my mind at first, but as I dine more and more, I am getting used to it. I have noticed that the larger restaurants have servers who are less considerate, and the family-owned places care about individual customers much more. I am learning every day, but I thought it was very interesting to see a server say what most servers have thought more than once. Although I didn't tip, I did tip my hat to the guy.

Movie Review


I am one of 40 great grandchildren on my mother’s side. My great-grandmother had 17 children, and had 50 immediate grandchildren. Needless to say, I’ve got a lot of crazy aunts and uncles.
My favorite crazy aunt never forgets my birthday. She always sends a $2 bill, and a movie that she buys at the gas station up the street from her house. For the most part, these movies are second-rate comedy attempts that end up at Goodwill. Last year, though, my aunt sent me a movie called American Splendor, and it has become one of my favorites.
American Splendor is a dry comedy about a regular guy named Harvey Pekar. Harvey has a mundane job, and lives a somewhat mundane life. He collects albums, and comic books, and he lives alone. One day, Harvey begins realizing that he can find comedy in his everyday life, and starts writing his own comic books. They are a success in the underground comic book circle. The best part of this movie is that it is based on a true story. The real Harvey Pekar helped write the movie.
This film was incredibly inspiring and depressing at the same time. Pekar, played by Paul Giamatti, is the cookie-cut image of the ‘common man.’ The tag line of the movie, “Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff,” describes how many people feel on a daily basis.
We have all though about what it would be like to make a television series based on our own lives, but this man actually did it, and instead of television used a form of entertainment that only few can appreciate. After doing the research on the comic books, I found that the last issue of American Splendor was written and released in September 2008. Simplicity is a trend that never fades.
There are many stories that are brilliant, but because of the delivery, the full effect is not seen, heard, or felt. This is not the case in American Splendor. Beautiful shot composition, and lighting, mixed with some animation make for a very enjoyable experience. The commentaries in the film also add to the story as a whole.
Another thing that makes this story enjoyable is that the main character was not a hero who changed the world as we know it. He was a little-known V.A. Hospital file clerk. His story is not well known. I asked many people who lived during the time that the comic book was in circulation, and only a few people had a clue as to what I was talking about. The people that did know the American Splendor comic book knew it well.
While the movie tells a story, the real-life Harvey Pekar, and his wife Joyce narrate the story themselves. Having these two telling their own story in their own voices make it much more than a documentary or a typical “based on true events” tale. The casting was also on-point. Giamatti does such a justice to Harvey Pekar from his facial expressions, to his hunchback walk. His mannerisms mimic the real Pekar perfectly.
While this film was in independent film, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the International Critics Award at the Cannes Film Festival, both in 2003.
American Splendor is a good, clean, movie about a series of simple events. This is a movie worth buying and watching over and over again. It delivers hope in a rare form, and makes the viewer appreciate the simplicities of everyday life. My favorite part of the movie though, was in the packaging. Upon opening my birthday present, I found a copy of an American Splendor comic book entitled, My Movie Year.

I'm here to eat, like anybody else

As a waitress, there are many a thing that piss me off (slow cooks, overbearing bosses, conservative tippers, CHILDREN, and sleep deprivation, just to name a few.) But believe it or not, as a customer, I am not very sensitive. I have gone out to eat with other servers and been embarrassed, not only because of the way they treated our server, but because of the way they tipped. There are only a few things that irk me and I typically won't even comment on these things to the server or let it affect their tip, (I will just go home and blog about them.)
One thing that really bothers me is when I go out to eat, and my server knows that I am server, and he/she the takes this as the cue to unleash the night's problems on me. I know that serving sucks. I am a server, so why would you want to bitch about things that happen at a serving job the one night I am not serving? If I cared at all about the ten top that you didn't get, or the guy that left you $6 on an $80 ticket, I'd be at work and experience those things myself. I am out to eat to enjoy a quiet evening with my friends or my dude, not to hear about the fact that you requested not to work doubles anymore, yet you're still scheduled for doubles for the next two weeks.
Regardless of your profession, you should find joy in dining out and as a server, regardless of the profession of your customer, you should not bombard them with your problems. I guess it is a good tactic if you are trying to stress your fellow server out and get him/her to have a couple extra beers during the meal, but for the most part, it is pretty insensitive.

Strange how a phonecall can change your day

I used to do things that I loved on a daily basis, but now it seems that I do things to please or meet the needs of others. While I'm not proud of this fact, I do understand that it is part of being part of this society. I received a phone call that changed my entire day Saturday afternoon. I spoke on the phone for nearly three hours, which is nowhere near typical for me. I'm the type of person who makes excuses to get off the phone with my mother (I know, I know, she makes me feel guilty enough, you don't need to). This was a different type of phone call, though. This was a phone call from one of the people I love most in the world. Someone who brings out the best in me. This person has known me for years, and still manages to love me.
While a phone call doesn't seem like much at face value, the day, and week, and month, have been putting stress on my life that I've never encountered before, and this friend's voice seemed to take me back to a more peaceful, serene time. I realized part way through this call, though, that this peaceful, serene, time is now. My life is perfect. Sure there are snags here and there, but for the most part, I am happy for the bulk of the day/week/month. Sometimes it takes a friend who wants to hear you talk, to hear yourself talk about how good life really is. Ironically enough, I was letting my i-pod control my mood by putting it on shuffle during this talk, and immediately following my phone dying, this song shuffled in.

She Dreamed A Dream

Susan Boyle wants to be a professional singer. She went on the television show, Britain's Got Talent, and was basically laughed at upon arrival.



While this woman doesn't look like a typical pop-star, she has the voice of an opera starlet. She shocked audiences when she began singing "I Dreamed a Dream," from the musical Les Miserables. Although I know this song, and this musical, an outsider looking in and hearing a little bit about this story and this woman would say that the lyrics in this song were very fitting to Susan's situation.

"Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted"

"I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."

This woman said that since she was twelve years old, she has dreamed of becoming a professional singer. She now lives alone with her cat. She has never been married, nor has she ever been kissed.

Going on national television took a lot of courage. There are many people who are too worried about criticism to even compete, and this woman faced it with grace, and boldness. While she didn't do anything profound, that will change the world as we know it forever, she did something that took a lot of guts. She stood in front of a large audience and she lived her dream. There has been quite a bit of media coverage over this, I believe, because it inspires average people. Her fan site's motto is to never judge a book by it's cover. It's a tale as old as time. In case you haven't caught this, here she is....

Susan's performance

Although her popularity will surely fade with time (our attention spans don't allow for long-term stardom), today Susan Boyle is famous. She dreamed a dream and chased that dream. At 47, she is getting the recognition that a person with a gift like hers deserves.