Kate still isn’t over the seven years she spent as a waitress.
Hi readers, welcome back to Mamamia’s Open Post. If you’re new around here, this is the place we come to talk about what’s been going on in our weeks. Absolutely nothing is off limits. I’ll kick us off.
This week, I’m thinking about how awful it is to be a waitress, how do I know? Because I was one for seven long years of my life.
I was having a coffee at a cafe this week, watching the waitress getting orders barked at her from the barista, running in and out of the kitchen and dealing with complaining customers. All I could think was, “Thank God that’s not me anymore.”
For me, I’ve still got emotional scars from the time I had some runs in with some angry chefs who make the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld look tame in comparison.
There’s nothing worse than screwing up an order and having to face the wrath of an angry chef. I mean, I can see it form their point of view, they’ve been slaving away over the stove all day and then you come in and tell them they’ve got to start all over again… I wouldn’t be too happy with me either.
Then there was the time I leaned over to pick up a napkin from a table, only to find that the napkin was… wet. Very wet. I still feel like my hands are dirty.
I’m just so glad I got to hang up my apron with a small shred of my dignity still in tact.
What about you? What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? What’s been happening in your world this week?
Want more about hospitality?
Ever had a Barista draw a heart in your coffee? What about a penis?
Restaurants that ban people from taking pictures of their food.
Top Comments
Worst job? I've had many. Cleaning the inside of varnish vats during summer is one.
The vat is a metal container about the size of a small room with a manhole 20 feet above and no lighting. The vat is heated to make the varnish more fluid so it's like honey and has nitrogen pumped in so it does not set. Of course you can't breathe that.
So on 35C days with no air con. I would put on overalls, gloves, goggles, a hood, a respirator and air hose, a harness attached to a rope and get lowered into varnish up to my thighs where I would be trapped, it was so thick you could not move your legs. Then used a shovel to scoop the varnish a bucket. Imagine using a teaspoon to transfer a jar of honey into a cup, it was very similar except much messier.
Once the bucket was full my co-workers would drop a rope and pull the dripping bucket up through the manhole, the dripping varnish would fall over me on it's way up.
With the heat and exertion, we could only last about 30 minutes and then got pulled up by the rope attached to a forklift to pull us out of the sticky mess, overalls soaked through with sweat and literally covered head to toe in varnish, Then the next guy would go in.
This was for basic wage plus danger money and dirt allowance.
I always think back to that experience when I have a crappy day in my current cushy job and thank my lucky stars.
This anecdote could use a little more polish.
lol - oh shush.