Today’s We Are No Longer in Fort Wayne moment comes from Kate. I picked her up at school Friday, and in the this-and-that of the day’s download, she says so-and-so will not be attending the class Valentine’s Day party.
“Oh? Why?” I ask.
“She’s going to the Grammys.”
Oh. Huh.
Well, I hope her classmate has a good time. If the mood of G-rated moderation sweepin’ the nation carries over to the music awards, her parents will rest easy, too. I just watched the most boring Super Bowl ever, at least in terms of the good parts — the commercials and the halftime show. Paul McCartney? Sheesh. Just bring back Up With People and be done with it. Where did they get those young girls to jump up and down in the front row? It would be like recruiting my junior-high classmates to scream over Benny Goodman.
On Saturday, Kate and I went exploring, from Lake Shore Drive to Royal Oak, along the infamous Eight Mile Road. The overwhelming impression: Apparently there’s always a living to be made in this town, if you’re willing to open 1) a used car lot; or 2) a liquor store. But at the end of the line we found Trader Joe’s, and so life is good again. Two-Buck Chuck — the consolation of the one-income household.
Headlines I wish I’d written: Man fined, banned from McDonald’s after Egg McMuffin assault
More tomorrow. I’m tired.
Linda said on February 7, 2005 at 2:08 am
Maybe this makes me a really bad person, but after some of the dealing-with-fast-food-employees hell I’ve been through here in our big city, I can sympathize with the guy and I say Good For Him.
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ashley said on February 7, 2005 at 3:04 am
I, too, have been a food flinger.
After explicitly saying I wanted a burger with no onions, the staff at Steak and Shake in Pensacola thought it proper to still serve me one with onions.
I unwrapped the burger, found the offending vegetable, and flung pieces of said vegetable back through said drive through window. While flinging, I said to the staff, “I said no onions”.
Perhaps, I’m just too much of a teacher. I like to think that the next time someone asks for no onions, they would listen to the request, think upon past events, and prepare the sandwich properly.
I’m a realist, though. Now, I realize that they will probably just add extra pubic hair.
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Nance said on February 7, 2005 at 8:41 am
Extra pubic hair? Ashie, you funny. (And you speak the truth.)
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Michael G said on February 7, 2005 at 9:16 am
Reminds me of Eddie Murphy and his special Won Ton.
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Danny said on February 7, 2005 at 10:05 am
Nance, realizing after the first ten minutes that the commercials sucked, we didn’t watch much of the SB. But turning back at half time. we all thought Sir Paul put on the best halftime show ever. Good stuff. When in doubt, Beatles.
Hmm…looking at my statement above, I realize that “turn” back really dates me to a time when remote control meant laying on ones back and changing the channels with ones toes.
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Bob said on February 7, 2005 at 11:15 am
Having worked as a soda jerk and short-order cook in my time at Purdue long ago, I’m very aware that mistakes can be made. I’m also very aware that some people go to a food establishment looking for something to be a prick about. Sometimes one must be assertive, but aggression and rudeness are uncalled for.
The food thrower should be sentenced to work the drive-up window for a month.
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Danny said on February 7, 2005 at 11:25 am
Bob, I agree with your sentiments. If you are working at one of these places, you typically are either very young or just do not have many options in life. Why would someone want to take their aggression out on someone who has so little? Better yet, watch “Supersize Me” and eschew fast food altogether.
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Connie said on February 7, 2005 at 11:29 am
Um, the food thrower is from my lil home town. I never read any positive news that mentions Zeeland. Well maybe if I read the business news.
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ashley said on February 7, 2005 at 6:28 pm
Bob, Danny, I know exactly where you’re coming from. I remember my piteous job sweeping up in a mall where people would find new and exciting ways to make my life hell.
The problem to me is that people don’t take any pride in their work any more. It isn’t too hard to make a burger without onions on it. It isn’t too hard to give a person that ordered an eggamuffin an eggamuffin instead of a sausage mcmuffin.
It seems to me that 1) people just can’t be bothered, 2) unless you pay a premium, you aren’t entitled to even adequate service, 3) people are now raised with such a notion of self worth and entitlement, that they fail to respect anyone else in any position.
\soapbox
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Danny said on February 7, 2005 at 10:30 pm
True, Ash. I probably should have made my post clearer. My comments were in reference to the person from the article, not to you. Hey, we have all had to deal with subpar service and it can get under our skin.
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Linda said on February 8, 2005 at 4:44 pm
To me there’s a big difference between people who “do not have a lot of options in life” and those who weren’t taught to respect others and they are just there to earn money for video games, concert tickets, gas for the cruiser, etc. and they think the whole job is a joke.
Years ago when I lived in Bluffton I went through the McDonalds on my way home from work. At that time they had some specialty 1/4 lb. burger with 3 different kinds of cheese or something, and I ordered one at the Drive-Thru about 5 minutes to closing time. You know, you just can’t leave that window without checking the bag, but sometimes a person is foolish and doesn’t. I drove home, opened the bag, and found a large specialty bun with three kinds of cheese and a teeny-tiny REGULAR hamburger patty buried in there. It didn’t cover a third of the bun. Never mind that my big butt didn’t really need the 1/4 lb. patty anyway, the point is that all they had to do was say: I’m sorry, we’re out of the 1/4 lb. burgers this evening, would you like to order something else? But they didn’t. They just wanted to get the heck out of there and go home and to hell with customer service. I called the manager the next day and told him I didn’t think that was very funny and he apologized profusely.
I’ve never flung any food at anyone, but I certainly understand the feeling. I’ve found that you get more satisfaction out of calling the manager, in most cases. I say in most cases because recently here in Vancouver I got totally fed up with the local Burger King, after having received the wrong food and impolite service three visits in a row. I called the manager and she kept putting me on hold. I kid you not, I would get a sentence out, and then she would put me on hold. Another sentence, on hold. Finally, I yelled, Why do you keep putting me on hold?? and she said “Other people are calling.” I lost it.
Speaking of “Supersize Me” — OMG! That movie scared the hell out of me and I have seriously been rethinking the amount of fast food we consume.
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