Waiting

As some of you know I started working this past week waiting tables. It's been an interesting personal test to say the least. To begin by competing for jobs against high school students and migrant workers and now to work along side of them as my equals has been a lesson in humility. Waiting on tables, dependent on tips to bolster the income to be used for food has brought out attitudes in me I haven't really seen a whole lot. Sure I've joked in that manner, but I've not really felt it until now. The other day as I was making change for a fellow I had chatted with for quite a while during is time at the diner and I found myself without any coins. He told me not to worry about it and left saying something about not being a rich man and was sorry about the lack of tip. The change I was unable to come with was my tip, a whole freakin' nickel. What's up with that? Later that night the change of seven cents was once again my tip. Oh sweet joy, I'll be buying a mansion in Vail in no time! Seriously, I don't expect a lot but thirteen cents between two people is pretty lousy. If you don't want to feel encumbered by tipping then go somewhere they don't give tips like McDonald's. The system itself is a bit screwy. In just the few days that I've worked it seems clear to me that the amount of tip is generally much more dependent on the person sitting in the booth than the person bringing the food. The tip money then is more a lottery of luck of who winds up in your section than a matter of your hard work and quality service. Now that hardly seems fair. It also makes it a little scary that somebody was sharing at work that Bush has apparently bounced around the idea of lowering minimum wage. I don't know if there is any truth behind it or not, but if it's true it is absolutely ludicrous (and I'm not speaking of the rapper). I wonder what more lessons are in store? I suspect there are a few.