Posted on 07/26/2007 9:30:56 PM PDT by gpapa
Ahh, we’re back to Granny Noonan, porch rocker.
Oh and Peggy...dear, marvelous, old Aunt Peggy...if you can’t shut down a salesperson, maybe they know who you are. Try the OTHER Garbo tactic. Call yourself Harriet Brown and dress like you’re not somebody.
And what are you doing in Macy*s, anyway? Did you lose a hard-to-explain job and turn in your Bergdorf charge plate?
(For you younguns, a charge plate is what we used before plastic credit cards.)
I'm sorry.... can I buy you a one-way ticket to Texas? *grin*
Having a waitress that is silent doesn’t equate to “rude and snarly” to me. Silence is never rude.
There is nothing I hate more than an overly solicitous waitress, constantly interrupting me while I am trying to read or get some paperwork done at the table. Restaurant staff should be silent and only approach the table when you signal that you need something.
Almost as bad are the other customers that talk loudly enough that you can’t hear yourself think, or clap and hoot at some sporting event on the TV in the bar area. These people are truly rude, showing no consideration for the other patrons.
When a waitress/waiter doesn't make eye contact or acknowledge what you ordered.....comes by and smacks the food on the table and doesn't come back until he/she puts the ticket on your table....constitutes RUDE.
If this were only one occasion...I could dismiss this person as just "having a bad day"....but.. it was pretty much the norm for everywhere we went during our weeklong vacation. (except when one waitress yelled "whaddayawant!!!???" 3 seconds after handing us a menu. *chuckle* I couldn't leave NYC fast enough....not only for this reason...but various other things that happened as well.
clap and hoot at some sporting event on the TV in the bar area
At a sports bar....you pretty much know what you're getting before you go.
Restaurant staff should be silent and only approach the table when you signal that you need something.
If you want impeccable manners by the staff and a quiet atmosphere.....I would suggest a more upperclass establishment that promotes fine dining. Applebee's ain't there yet. :) I just wanted to be treated like something more than a subhuman species.
What YOU said! This is soooo whiney.
How is it possible to write a column on the boorishness of modern life and so utterly fail to find suitable examples with which to illustrate the point?
[If you want impeccable manners by the staff and a quiet atmosphere.....I would suggest a more upperclass establishment that promotes fine dining. Applebee’s ain’t there yet. :) I just wanted to be treated like something more than a subhuman species.]
There’s nothing wrong with that. I am just amazed by how many people think being “outgoing” and “gregarious” make somebody a good candidate for food service. I’m not looking to make friends with everybody I come in contact with, so if they are hovering and ask me if I need anything every time they pass by, I’m actually pretty pissed off by the time I leave.
And I think it has more to do with the individual server than the restaurant as a whole. I frequent Olive Garden, and the range of behaviour of the staff is amazing. Some you never see or hear until they magically appear just when you need them, and others are overly solicitous or never around when you need something. I consider this to be the difference between people that are making a career out of it and people that just couldn’t find a “better” job. I tip accordingly, in the hopes of keeping the professionals and discouraging the louts.
Non New Yorkers will very often mistake the speed and urgency at which New Yorkers conduct themselves to that of being "rude".
Regarding restaurants:
The most rude server will interrupt you while you are still looking at the menu, and ask, “Are you ready to order?”
When I am ready to order, I will close my menu, thank you very much. When I receive good service, I am extremely generous with the tip. Don’t servers ‘get it’?
Best restaurant I have ever found, is right in my own kitchen or diningroom. Good food, good service. No tips necessary.
You have to have a reason for living in the city. Either you want to make a ton of money, pursue some passion or have a line of work you can’t do anywhere else.
On the other hand, if you want a job that is strictly 9 to 5, and things “the way they’re supposed to be” then the city isn’t for you.
But not as relaxing since you have to prepare everything yourself. And cooking for one person seems like both a hassle and not much savings compared to moderately priced restaurants. Besides, I don’t like eating at 8PM, but that’s what would happen with my commute if I waited to eat at home. Some people assume eating out a lot is something the “rich” do, when really some of us just don’t want to sit in traffic !
It seems so simple to make people like me happy at a restaurant that I really think most food servers have been mis-trained. Finding good food, quiet servers, and moderate prices shouldn’t be so difficult.
Another reason people will live in the city, while obscure, if you cannot drive for whatever reason...it’s the perfect place.
>>Some people assume eating out a lot is something the “rich” do<<
Actually, eating out is probably cheaper than buying all the ingredients to prepare a dish at home. I usually have to toss half the stuff out. (Not to mention prep time, cook time and clean-up time).
I enjoy driving in small doses, but I’d go nuts if I had to spend two or three hours a day in a car.
I had to laugh when I read that. I remember being on a date at a very nice restaurant a few years ago. My date suggested this place because of the nice quiet atmosphere, great food and piano bar. Unfortunately, we couldn't get two sentences out between us without the server butting in to ask "is everything okay"? *chuckle*
I think the server was really new and didn't know any better. My date finally told him... "Son, if people need something.... they'll try to get your attention by making eye contact, nodding or lifting a finger in your general direction". The guy was really embarrassed but made himself scarce. My date was so frustrated he could barely talk afterward. I got tickled which made him even more furious. (I have a warped sense of humor)
Anyway.... if someone isn't being intentionally obnoxious... which is what I found in NYC... I'm pretty easy going about stuff.
I think you're right. I thrived on the city when I was young...but by the time I hit my 30's... it got old. Raising kids became a challenge because of the gangs, drugs and crime.
That's when I bought my little slice of heaven in the country. I commute one hour to work... and have for the past 20 yrs. (I use it for up or down time) I don't miss the noise, traffic or shopping. When I turn in that driveway... I can shut the whole world away. Like I said... "Heaven". :)
>>>>Cellphones are wonderful, but they empower the obnoxious and amplify the ignorant.
Great line though and so true. LOL
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