Comments on: What did You Order?

By: Alan

2006-11-23T08:09:43Z

It may be a bit off subject, but this theme reminds of the time I went to a Chinese restaurant in London’s Soho with three friends, one of whom had just returned from Hong Kong, where he had worked in the police force for many years.

When the menus came, he took it upon himself to do the ordering — in Cantonese, and with much panache, it must be said. The waiter looked a shade surprised, as my friend was not Asian (his policing days were in the colonial era, but nodded as he took the order.

He then went to the dumb waiter shaft and called down in broken English: “Two number 10s, one 14, four number 8s and a 42.

This rather took the wind out of friend’s sails.

By: lovergirl

2006-11-20T18:26:44Z

ONCE I WAS IN THIS LITTLE CAFE AT MEDINA LAKE WITH TWO FRIENDS. WE NOTICED WHEN WE WERE PAYING THE CHECK THAT THE WAITRESS HAD WRITTEN ON THE CHECK “LONG BLONDE HAIR — CHEESEBURGER” AND “GUY — HAMBURGER NO PICKLES” AND “BROWN CURLY — GRILLED CHEESE” TO ENABLE HER TO REMEMBER WHAT EACH OF US HAD ORDERED. IT COULD BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS THAT, OR SIMPLY NUMBERING THE CHAIRS AT EACH TABLE TO KEEP THE ORDERS STRAIGHT. I’M ALWAYS EMBARRASSED FOR SERVERS WHEN THEY HAVE TO ASK, NOT TO MENTION PEEVED AT THE INEPTITUDE.

By: Coastman

2006-11-17T21:58:15Z

Bravo, bravo, bravo. This just points out the decline of the service industry in general, from dry cleaners, to waiters, to physicians, to . . . well, you get the picture.