Friday, January 29, 2010

Waiter, There's a Spot on My Glass


Have you ever had a table ask for a mug of hot water and then when you bring it to them, they use it to sterilize their forks and knives because they think they aren't clean enough? Usually, it's an old lady who does this and then she makes her brow-beaten husband do it too. It's like they think we don't have a highly skilled and well-paid dishwasher in the kitchen making sure each and every plate, glass and utensil is sparkling clean. All dishwashers I have ever worked with take immense pride in their job and want to ensure cleanliness for all. I should know, because it was my first job in the food service industry. Just kidding. Dishwashers don't give a shit. How many times have you seen a fork that had a dried piece of whatever the fuck on it and rather than going to find a new one, you just scrape it off and give it to a table? Or what about when you see a wine glass with lipstick on it? The right thing to do is get the lipstick off with a napkin and then run it through the dishwasher again but plenty of times, I feel that the napkin wipe is good enough. I'm not saying that it's right, I'm just saying that it happens. Whenever I eat in a restaurant I work in, I use the to-go utensils. The ones that come in the little plastic bag with a napkin, salt and pepper are the only ones that I know are clean enough for me. Picture the knife that is being used to spread butter across that delicious hot roll. That knife is the same one that I wedged under table 23 yesterday to keep it from wobbling. Or that spoon being used to eat smooth creamy vanilla ice cream? Yeah, I used that spoon a few days ago to cram down the sink and unclog the drain. Or what about the salad bowl? Yep, that was under the same sink last week catching the drip from the drain that I unclogged with the spoon.

One place I worked (crappy ass VYNL, 78th and Second) often had a problem with the dishwasher. The machine, I mean and not the highly trained man who ran the machine. It would not work and the poor guy would have to do it by hand. Or maybe the hot water was out so it was going through the machine but only using cold water. One day when I got to work, my co-worker told me to make sure to use plastic forks and to-go containers when I ate that day. I always did anyway, but asked him why. "No soap." Uh huh, we were fucking running the dishwasher without soap. Think about that the next time you're licking your plate clean. Bon fucking appetite.
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

ooooh I love scare tactics.

Maybe it is just me or the food service industry has gone down hill lately or they are living off the fallacy that is the movie "Waiting" [too much wrong with that movie] but I just get so tired of the present day waiting community trying to scare the public via the internet.

I never saw any of the stuff the current servers, BOH claim that they do - but it fun to read, I suppose.

If what y'all say is true then it is sad that you don't take pride in the job that you do and the heck with the people that pay your salaries.

I guess we were of a different mindset/generation.

Anonymous said...

ooooh I love scare tactics.

Maybe it is just me or the food service industry has gone down hill lately or they are living off the fallacy that is the movie "Waiting" [too much wrong with that movie] but I just get so tired of the present day waiting community trying to scare the public via the internet.

I never saw any of the stuff the current servers, BOH claim that they do - but it fun to read, I suppose.

If what y'all say is true then it is sad that you don't take pride in the job that you do and the heck with the people that pay your salaries.

I guess we were of a different mindset/generation.

Anonymous said...

LMAO, I also only use the plastic togo utensils in my restaurant....the first time I heard the whispers of "we have no dishwashing soap", I cringed and resolved not to use the silver. I KNOW rationally that the hot water sanitizes it, but it always cracks me up to think about the "no soap" incident. =)

No L said...

Kids it's the temperature of the water not the soap that kills the illness causing bacteria.

I don't understand this first post. Why would wait staff try and scare the public? Our bread and butter? You think this stuff isn't true?

Laura said...

Have you ever seen anyone literally lick their plate clean?

Cori said...

Hi!

I have a different perspective for some (not all, because I am sure some do it for annoying reasons) of the people who sanitize their silverware. I was part of the "some" for awhile.

That person could be OCD or a germ phobia(and not ready to face their fears yet or are in the process). I am OCD. For years I did not go to out to eat, because I was terrified of the germs on dishes, the waiter, the cook, etc. I still am to an extent. However, I wanted to be able to enjoy eating out with friends and family, and with help, came up with an exposure therapy plan. The beginning of the plan I let myself sanitize silverware, etc. I forced myself to stay in the place, eat the food, and drink out of a straw. When my anxiety was manageable, I moved up to actually drinking from the glass, and using the silverware as is. Throughout the entire process I was terrified, but overtime my anxiety went down and I could enjoy the experience.

I always felt bad that I was offending the waiter, and made sure to leave a good tip, and really nice when I ordered/asked for something.

So please don't judge the "some" people, especially if they look like they are going to have a panic attack. :)

Same thing might have been going on in that post about the person who may have had a sick sister, and refused to drink out a glass the sick sister touched.

I like your blog and am catching up on the years I missed.

vani said...

Heya¡­my very first comment on your site. ,I have been reading your blog for a while and thought I would completely pop in

and drop a friendly note. . It is great stuff indeed. I also wanted to ask..is there a way to subscribe to your site via

email?

Glass Dishwasher