The difference between Brits and everyone else

[Watchful]

And use his / her name when addressing them. If you know who they are, they will be likely to remember who you are.

Odd that you say that. Most places around here share tips. So it really doesn't matter who they are, what kind of service they give, if you remember their name or any of that. Shared tips ought to be discouraged because it does absolutely nothing to assure proper service. In many of these places, one person shows us the table, another takes our order, yet another brings the food. We see each person only once. Even if we wish to tip only one particular person, they all share.

I have never been to a place like that myself. Is that a franchise thing? I don't eat at franchise restaurants.

No, it's a common thing to pool tips. The way of doing it depends. Where I worked (which was not a franchise), you'd tip a percentage to the bartender, the bus kids, and the food runners. And then if there are several bus kids and food runners on duty, they will split all the tip outs evenly amongst themselves. Everyone generally knew that if they wanted more money, they support the wait staff well because they are the ones representing everyone else, and they are the ones the customer thinks of when tipping.

That makes sense, that way everyone works as a team to be as courteous and helpful as possible to make a lot more spending money. I had never heard of it, but it's been 40 years since I did any restaurant waiter work. I worked in an little Italian place called My Mother's Restaurant.

 

[Designer]

And to be honest, I can't even say I'm totally done with it because some days I'm seriously tempted to just bag this whole academic BS and get a full-time bartending job in one of the higher-end restaurants that Buzz's father does business with.

There is a lot to be said about not having to deal with the BS on a daily basis. Academia doesn't have a monopoly on BS. I'm retired, but my wife is still there, dealing with the BS every day and hating every minute of it.

 

[table1349]

Been there as a manager, but that was over 35 years ago. The owner saw to it that everyone got paid a real salary. They did accept tips but they were not expected. Service was good because people wanted to work there. Everyone from the bus boy to the wait staff, to the cooks etc. all were treated well. It was also properly staffed. Two of our sons were waiters in their high school years in a nice Italian place. Again they were treated pretty well, but they did have to rely on tips. One has stayed in the food industry and is the head of catering including preparation of the food. He gets a full decent wage. The service he puts out is second to none. He understands that he isn't going to be head of catering if they do a lousy job since their catering business will decline and die.

I waitressed through college at a few places, and I also waitressed after grad school before I went overseas. When I came back to the States, I once again got myself a waitressing job to supplement my adjunct pay, and then moved to bartending. So my latest stint in the restaurant business lasted from 2004 until about 2011 or so, so it's only been about 5 years that I'm out of the business. And to be honest, I can't even say I'm totally done with it because some days I'm seriously tempted to just bag this whole academic BS and get a full-time bartending job in one of the higher-end restaurants that Buzz's father does business with.

Yeah, if you got a good thing going, stay with it. Doesn't matter where you work they all have the BS factor and BS days. Even being retired now I have BS days. The wife is the boss at the Bank she works and as the boss she still has BS days. The only consolidation for her, she can spread the BS around as needed.

 

[limr30 3]

Oh please, I know all about the various kinds of BS. This ain't my first time around the block. If there are people involved, there will be BS. It's all just a matter of what manner of big steaming pile you are willing to deal with.

 

[limr30 3]

Yeah, if you got a good thing going, stay with it. Doesn't matter where you work they all have the BS factor and BS days. Even being retired now I have BS days. The wife is the boss at the Bank she works and as the boss she still has BS days. The only consolidation for her, she can spread the BS around as needed.

Aye, well there's the rub, innit?

 

[Watchful]

And to be honest, I can't even say I'm totally done with it because some days I'm seriously tempted to just bag this whole academic BS and get a full-time bartending job in one of the higher-end restaurants that Buzz's father does business with.

There is a lot to be said about not having to deal with the BS on a daily basis. Academia doesn't have a monopoly on BS. I'm retired, but my wife is still there, dealing with the BS every day and hating every minute of it.

My wife and I have never had to do any type of work that we hated, we were blessed to find work we loved.

 

[table1349]

Personally I think we need a Canadian Thread. I'm reading Uncle John's Bathroom reader Plunges into Canada eh. Some interesting and funny stuff in it.

After that one I am going to read Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Weird Canada. Not sure how much weirder it can get from the one I am reading now.

 

[table1349]

For all our British friends as well as all our friends in the commonwealth, God Save the Queen on this, her 90th birthday.

 

[4073708 1]

Us Brits do have some food peculiarities when compared to USA.

If we go for a high class meal we assume we will be going to a chip shop on the way home as we have associated high class food with minuscule portions but similar establishments in the USA will feed you until full.

We also assume that the wine will cost more than the food and that a glass of fizzy water will cost pretty much the same as a glass of wine.

Brits have a hard time complaining about food but complaining about service / food seems to be part of the experience in most USA restaurants.

Just my thoughts.

 

[robbins.photo]

Oh please, I know all about the various kinds of BS. This ain't my first time around the block. If there are people involved, there will be BS. It's all just a matter of what manner of big steaming pile you are willing to deal with.

Well having worked for a University myself years ago on the support staff the thing that always struck me is that Academia and it's related support positions seem to have it's own peculiar brand of BS that is rather unique.

In most other jobs, yes, you have a certain level of BS. Everyone knows it's BS. They often gripe about the BS they have to put up with to do the job. It's normal, expected, and in a strange way comforting.

In Academia, however, it was my experience that the BS isn't just built in as it is with many jobs, it's intentionally added on after the fact. What made matters worse, those that added the BS not only expected you to accept it, they wanted you to embrace it wholeheartedly. It was if there was an entire level of management who's only job was to add BS to your job. I'd never seen anything quite like it.

You couldn't just say, wow.. this is BS. You couldn't think to yourself, wow, what BS and just quietly go on about your business. Oh no, you had to pick up some pom poms and proclaim from the rooftops that this was not BS, this was the most amazing idea ever!

Worse yet you were expected to report those that did say, hey, this is BS. If you heard someone saying this was BS and didn't report them, you might get reported yourself. So it became almost a soviet gulag level of BS.

 

[KenC]

Oh please, I know all about the various kinds of BS. This ain't my first time around the block. If there are people involved, there will be BS. It's all just a matter of what manner of big steaming pile you are willing to deal with.

Well having worked for a University myself years ago on the support staff the thing that always struck me is that Academia and it's related support positions seem to have it's own peculiar brand of BS that is rather unique.

In most other jobs, yes, you have a certain level of BS. Everyone knows it's BS. They often gripe about the BS they have to put up with to do the job. It's normal, expected, and in a strange way comforting.

In Academia, however, it was my experience that the BS isn't just built in as it is with many jobs, it's intentionally added on after the fact. What made matters worse, those that added the BS not only expected you to accept it, they wanted you to embrace it wholeheartedly. It was if there was an entire level of management who's only job was to add BS to your job. I'd never seen anything quite like it.

You couldn't just say, wow.. this is BS. You couldn't think to yourself, wow, what BS and just quietly go on about your business. Oh no, you had to pick up some pom poms and proclaim from the rooftops that this was not BS, this was the most amazing idea ever!

Worse yet you were expected to report those that did say, hey, this is BS. If you heard someone saying this was BS and didn't report them, you might get reported yourself. So it became almost a soviet gulag level of BS.

I've worked mostly for corporations, which in my experience fit the above description quite well.

I recently went on a tour of a relatively new facility to which those of us here in the city will have to drive, starting some time towards the end of the year. Everyone who had formal contact with us there followed the same script, including statements about how glad the people there were that we were coming to join them. Really??!! They have their own problems and, at least for the most part, don't care where we are. In fact, I ran into several people that I know there and at least half of them seemed unaware of when we were slated to arrive, and in a couple of cases, that we were coming at all.

At this point I suppose I should be used to this sort of thing, and all the other BS floating around, a lot of it of a more serious nature, but I've never had much tolerance for being expected to accept irrationality as though it were actually rational and obvious. It's a character flaw, I guess.

 

[limr30 3]

Oh please, I know all about the various kinds of BS. This ain't my first time around the block. If there are people involved, there will be BS. It's all just a matter of what manner of big steaming pile you are willing to deal with.

Well having worked for a University myself years ago on the support staff the thing that always struck me is that Academia and it's related support positions seem to have it's own peculiar brand of BS that is rather unique.

In most other jobs, yes, you have a certain level of BS. Everyone knows it's BS. They often gripe about the BS they have to put up with to do the job. It's normal, expected, and in a strange way comforting.

In Academia, however, it was my experience that the BS isn't just built in as it is with many jobs, it's intentionally added on after the fact. What made matters worse, those that added the BS not only expected you to accept it, they wanted you to embrace it wholeheartedly. It was if there was an entire level of management who's only job was to add BS to your job. I'd never seen anything quite like it.

You couldn't just say, wow.. this is BS. You couldn't think to yourself, wow, what BS and just quietly go on about your business. Oh no, you had to pick up some pom poms and proclaim from the rooftops that this was not BS, this was the most amazing idea ever!

Worse yet you were expected to report those that did say, hey, this is BS. If you heard someone saying this was BS and didn't report them, you might get reported yourself. So it became almost a soviet gulag level of BS.

Ah yes, this sums it up pretty well. We're not supposed to acknowledge the BS because we are doing Very Important Work that will save the minds of a generation! Of course, half of the ideas might actually be good ideas if we could dig them out from under the mounds of administrative jargon, but does anyone dare question the latest buzzword? Of course not. And don't get me started on the faculty vs administration vs staff BS.

But all of this is beside the point. No one in this thread has mentioned the DEFINITIVE baked good that belongs in any discussion of baked goods.

One word: bagels.

 

[robbins.photo]

One word: bagels.

Ahh.. bagels. Ok, this thread can be locked now. There simply isn't anything more of value that could possibly be added.

 

[limr30 3]

One word: bagels.

Ahh.. bagels. Ok, this thread can be locked now. There simply isn't anything more of value that could possibly be added.

 

[Watchful]

My wife makes the best bagels, even better soft pretzels. She made some jalapeño soft pretzels that were to die for.