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July 08, 2004

Sometimes Being Practiced-On is a Good Thing

On Tuesday i went to the italian place i usually go to when i just want a quick italian fix, like pizza or chicken parmesan or whatever, only this time i decided to sit down and have something one would eat with a fork and (well, i guess just a fork) -- something like pasta. As i enter in, i see this 20-yr-old looking pale blond Northern-European guy waiting outside the door. I quickly walk past him, into the restaurant. To my surprise he follows me, and asks if i want to sit down, at the same as i'm being asked by the older, Italian guy *inside* the restaurant. Replying to both, i answer yes, and get extra-politely seated at a window table. Both the blond kid and the italian guy explain the specials, and the italian guy tells the blond guy to ask me what i want to drink. i say 'iced tea' (b/c i don't drink that much anymore ;) ) and he goes and gets a Snapple, and pours it in a glass with ice. I order my tortellini with ham and peas, and after some awkward mumblings by him (not me!) the blond guy understands my order. He gives it to the kitchen, then goes back outside and stands there, soon following another group into the restaurant, and hovering around me again in case i might need something every 2 minutes.

"Oh no," i think, "i have a new trainee as a waiter..."

The italian guy soon comes back, pushing the blond guy out of the way (because he is hovering within 5 feet of me since i am his 1st of only 2 customers), and smiling a big smile, happily presents me with some warm rolls. He also extra-politely sets my dinner-roll plate next to me, saying "see?" to the blond guy. Changing my perspective, i thought that maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. I was getting treated extra-nicely b/c the italian guy (assumably the boss) was showing blondy the correct way to treat customers, and i was the example. Wow :) The rest was normally good -- food was piping hot, got my 'to-go' box right away, as well as my check. Sometimes being practiced-on is a good thing...

Posted by MaTT at July 8, 2004 02:04 AM

Comments

You're lucky he didn't offer to chew your food for you!

Posted by: srah at July 8, 2004 08:54 AM

Eww, and then throw it back up on my plate, like a mother bird? (I know, it's prolly not gross for birds...) I was hoping he'd bring me extra bread since everything else was extra-nice, but i guess that would be pushing my luck.

Posted by: MaTT at July 8, 2004 04:30 PM