Food For Thought :: Waiter Rant

so, it's our first end-of-the-month review! and the first book we all chose was WAITER RANT by
steve dublanica to check the blogroll and read other Book Club posts, go here.

i have to say, i really enjoyed this book. it was, in large part, all i had hoped it would be. it was funny, sorta cynical, but with a heart underlying it that made me feel like i was reading about someone's real life and not just, unrelated, "rants."

the book is filled with hilarious bits about crazy, cranky customers, which, having been in food service in a touristy, upper-crust realm, i could relate to. and while there were times that i felt like, "hey waiters can be cranky and nasty without provocation, you know!" i also felt like he conceded that there were jerky waiters out there, too. (and don't get me started on the food spitting.)

the aspect of the book that i felt a little. . . frustrated with is the whole "break up" he underwent with The Bistro and its' staff. i understood that it was a co-dependent relationship and one that served as illustration of the writer's self-esteem issues and lack of direction in life, but i didn't need all the melodrama surrounding his leaving. he was acting like he'd just been freed from a wrongful prison sentence or something. it was just a job, dude! and there's thousands of other/better restaurants out there to work at.

i got frustrated with him. i'm supposed to feel sorry for him and his awful situation, but, i have little patience for that. if it sucks, get out of it. stop whining. and i realize that it's harsh in a way. it's not that easy for some people to up and make a change.

i also realize that it's a good reflection of how i treat myself. i'm really hard on myself in the same way. and i know full well how hard it is to make real change when your self-worth is tied up in the decision. so, who am i to judge.

overall, i'm really glad we chose it and it was a fun read. and that's my rant on Waiter Rant. . . did anyone else perceive his anger and language to escalate througout the book. i felt like, "he sure is swearing a lot all of a sudden!" it sorta crept up on me. i felt a little like he was having a personality change or something. but maybe that's what being at The Bistro did to him!

on to the next book. i can't wait to find out what it is. . .