Old People and Fourth Graders

Old Man on Glascow Train, photo posted on Flickr

I read a post by Steve (a.k.a. Waiter) on his Waiter Rant blog. It was about old people who frequent a deli near his home. It made me think of my local Trader Joe's and fourth graders.

The Trader Joe's on Pacific Coast Highway in my town is close to a retirement center. The old folks come in alone or with their "new" friend from the center. The aisles in this particular TJ's are quite narrow. I do not mind waiting for these folks to slowly meander their way through the crowded aisles. However, I have a friend who hates it and constantly complains. She has gone as far as to suggest that TJ's should designate a "senior's day" and ban them from the store on other days. Wow.

Now the old folks in TJ's are different than the old folks Steve described. These old folks are usually smiling and happy at how cheap everything is at TJ's.




Photo posted by isco72 on Flickr





So last week, I had a fourth grade class from hell. Let me preface this story with the fact that these kids are nine. It was at a small school close to my home. I know most of the 400 students at this school and am mobbed by hugs when I walk onto the campus. However, I didn't know many of the kids in this class.

A week or so before I took this week long assignment, I was teaching next door to this 4th grade class. There was a substitute in the class and she sent a couple of the unruly kids into my class.

By morning recess the class had become out of control. They were choking each other, throwing things, and told the sub to shut up. The principal was called in and had to take over the class. I saw this sub and she looked like a sweet old retired teacher just trying to supplement her retirement. I felt so bad for her.

Classroom, photo posted by Charlyn W on Flickr

So when I stepped in for this fourth grade teacher, who went to Hawaii a week early for her holiday (don't blame her), I already had an idea of what I was walking into. I saw a note from a sub she had on Friday. In short, this sub wrote that she had a rough day. Later, I heard from the school secretary that this particular sub left crying. Wow.

Never in my life have I experienced such bad behavior. Such disrespect from these students. It took all my energy to make it through the week. There were about 5-8 kids who were good. But it is usually the other way around. Usually you have maybe 5 who are not listening.

I shared my hellish week with a friend at a happy hour.

After two margaritas, I said, "what scares me the most about the experience is that these kids were so disrespectful that I fear for the future."

Our waitress stopped by and we ordered another round. I continued my rant when she left.

"In this future I see me at the TJ's on PCH, when I am old, possibly living in the retirement center, trying to maneuver my way through the aisles, and these kids, now grown, knocking me over, causing my hip to break, landing me in the hospital, where I eventually die of pneumonia."

My friend laughed and said, "you can always see humor in the worst experience."
1st grade 1963, photo posted by Jim in Times Square on Flickr

I feel so old because I did keep telling this class things like, "when I was your age, we never disrespected our teachers because we feared the wrath of our parents."

What is sad is that they responded with things like this, "my dad's in prison" and, "my mom doesn't care and she is never home."

In the words of Bob Dylan, "The times they are a changing."

One last thing, if you have never checked out the Waiter rant blog, I highly recommend it. It is in my blog roll. Steve has written a book from the blog, was on Oprah, and has a second book deal from it all. His blog wins awards.

Hookers

Photo posted on Flickr

Seduction

Photo of Desserts taken by Rita Crane (Flickr)










Photo of Latte taken by Yoshiko 314 (Flickr)




Thanks for the responses. Yes my days at The Rex were something. The maitre'd was a hard core Trotskyist and surfer dude. If you weren't a commie or at least surfed, you got lousy dinner shifts. I told him he was a sell out for working in such a bourgeois establishment waiting on the bourgeoisie. I did have the best shifts...Tuesday through Friday. Probably because of that first wine tasting. I won the owner's respect.

The conversations in the back house with the maitre'd were always enlightening and passionate.

One last thing about those wine tastings, it was usually between 6-8 wines we tasted each week from various wine sales people. However, one Thursday we had a very expensive wine seller from Europe come in with his wines. We tasted 21 wines that Thursday. I did not spit out my wine and was sent home due to my drunken state. Whoops.

Another great thing about our tastings, once the bottles were open, we often times got to take the wine home. Those were the days.

Anyway, my friend, Ian Ashton-Reader, in London, from "old money" sent me this link from the Waiter Rant blog. It is called Seduction and funny as hell. By the way, Ian is one classy dude who never has to prove himself to wait staff by acting demeaning or demanding.

One last thing, if you want to impress folks with your wine knowledge, check out 21 Oceanfront's wine list. This is a good way to learn about wine. Check out the menu at White House dinners to see what wine they are drinking is another good way. I amnot sure of the website for 21 Oceanfront, but am sure you can type in 21 Oceanfront, Newport Beach in google and find it. Also wine magazines will help.

Here is the link to Seduction. Enjoy.
http://WaiterRant.net/?p=212

Waiter Rant

Photo of 21 Oceanfront, Newport Beach, CA taken by Eating Orange (Flickr)

I read a review about a new book called Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica. It just cracked me up. He hits the nail on the head. Dublanica has a blog and it became so popular that he got a book deal. I'll paste the links below.

As most of you know, I worked as a waitress for many years, but my time at the five star dining establishment The Rex in Newport Beach came to mind while reading his blogs. We all new when our customers were from new money (recently acquired wealth), old money (royalty or born with silver spoons in mouth), or were wannabes.

The new money customers fifty percent of the time had chips on their shoulders and had to prove how "important" they were to us. For example, if they did not have a jacket, and we offered a jacket, they'd make a scene as if our dress policy didn't apply to them anymore now that they had money.

Old money knew to wear a jacket. And if old money had just disembarked from their yachts, they would not question our policy and just put the damn jacket on that we had in our coat closet for customers... and very nice Armani jackets they were.

Anyway, at The Rex, we did not spit in the food. However, if a customer spent too long at a table on a busy Saturday night, our matre'd would pass gas (fart) at their table while asking if they needed anything else.

One thing about wait staff at fine dining establishments, they take their work seriously and know their stuff. So when dining out, listen to their recommendation on specials and the wine.

Speaking of wine, at The Rex, where I worked for three years while living a life of glamorous debauchery, had a very professional wine tasting every Thursday. When I first came on board I was considered the peasant of the wait staff because my previous job had been at the Rusty Pelican whose wine list had a white zinfandel on it. A major faux paus.

During our first pretentious blind wine tasting, I filled out my wine rating sheet. The owner called on me to report what I had written. I read my ratings outloud to a room so silent you could hear a cork drop on the carpet. When he took the brown paper bag off the wine bottles, I had rated all the most expensive wines with the highest marks. The English girl, our wine steward, and our maitre'd made many errors on what was what. Moreover, they rated inferior wines with high marks. The staff quit calling me the peasant after that.

This was over twenty years ago, but man do I remember those days. Most of the customers were nice, but the owner a nut job. Why are all owners nut jobs?

We had the rich and famous in all the time. My favorite famous person I waited on was Neil Diamond. I just love that guy. He was so humble and kind. We all fell in love with him.

The Rex is no more and now called 21 Oceanfront. It was only 21 tables when I worked there, but they bought the space next door and it is huge now. The staff was the same for the 3 years I was there. No one left because the money was good and hours short. We became like family. We were right below the Doryman's Inn by the pier. We had the best wine list in Orange County and won several restaurant awards. Good times.

Here is the link for anyone, but especially for those who have ever waited tables in
their lives.

wwww.waiterrant.net
www.waiterrant.blogspot.com

Abe and Twain

Lincoln Memorial (Posted by Stuck in Customs, Flickr)



Mark Twain (Posted by Kleopatrjones, Flickr)

These quotes were posted on a friend's myspace page and I just love them. I'm with abe and twain.

One last thing, I recently read that animals do not know of their own mortality. We are the only animal that does. Never thought about that before. Explains a lot don't you think?


"The scientist who yields anything to theology, however slight, is yielding to ignorance and false pretenses, and as certainly as if he granted that a horse-hair put into a bottle of water will turn into a snake. - H.L. Mencken

"Man is the religious animal. He is the only religious animal. He is the only
animal that has the True Religion –- several of them. He is the only animal that
loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn't straight.
He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother's path to happiness and heaven." - Mark Twain

"I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don't have as many people
who believe it." - George Carlin

"When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
- Abraham Lincoln