Category Archive

i’m currently reading waiter rant, by steve dublanica. waiter rant began as a blog, where dublanica aka “the waiter” chronicled his interactions with restaurant patrons – the good, the bad and the ugly (mostly ugly). it’s a fun read, especially for a new yorker, and i can’t help but have a different perspective when i eat in restaurants now. mostly what i find inspiring, is what started as something casual, fun and an outlet for frustration evolved into a book on the ny times best seller list. compare his original blogspot blog to his current wordpress blog, and you’ll see how far he’s come. no wonder my husband encouraged me to use wordpress for late blooms. below is an excerpt from his site.

The phone rings.
“The Bistro,” I answer, “How can I help you?”
“What kind of cuisine do you serve?” a female voice asks.
“Northern Italian madam.”
“And what’s your sushi special tonight?”
I pause a moment.
“We don’t serve sushi madam.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re not a Japanese restaurant?”
The caller thinks about that for a sec.
“Do you serve tuna?” she asks.
“We do.”
“Can’t you make sushi out of that?”
“No.”
“Why not?” she asks incredulously.
“Because.”
“Oh.”
There’s a long pause. I can visualize this woman sucking her thumb.
“Would you like to make a reservation?” I ask
“No, I really wanted sushi tonight.”
“Sorry,” I verbally shrug.
“Could you suggest a place?” she asks testily.
I give her the name and number of a very expensive sushi house and hang up. I look at the clock and sigh. So far I’ve put in eighty hours at the Bistro. When Fluvio comes back this Sunday it’ll be 110 hours without a break. Phone calls like this threaten to destroy whatever sanity I have left. It’s time to self medicate.