Of Mice and Men

“Omigod!” Julie, one of the waitresses shrieks. “A mouse!” “Where?” I ask. “Right there,” Julie says, pointing to the floor. “Stuck in the glue trap!” I look down. Stuck on a piece of adhesive cardboard next to the dishwasher is a small brown and white field mouse....

Failed

It’s my first Saturday night working at the new restaurant. Since I’m new and the manager’s unsure how many tables I can handle, I’ve been given a small section near the men’s room. The other waiters ensure that cheap tippers with psychological problems constitute the...

Muy Crudo

“Where’s Luis?” I ask Miguel, one of the restaurants many bus boys. “My party’s gonna be here any minute and the tables not set up.” “I don’t know,” Miguel says. “Rolando,” I ask, turning to our...

The Hurting Folk

The lunch rush has come and gone. I’m sitting in the back sipping espresso and reading the newspaper when Rolando, our fabulous Chileno busboy, interrupts me. “You got a table up front,” he says, unenthusiastically. “How many?” I ask,...

The Waiter Speaketh!

I was a guest on Evan Kleiman’s radio show Good Food, hosted by Southern California’s own 89.9FM KCRW. The link to the show is here. I’m on the later part of the program but please listen to all the guests, it’s a great program. My new restaurant job’s interesting....

Tipping the Bus

Rolando, our fabulous Chileno busboy, is so busy acting fabulous that he’s neglecting my tables. I’ve been fetching bread and butter, refilling waters, and clearing my tables all though lunch. I’m not above doing grunt work, but Rolando’s...