Maybe it’s the southerner in me, but I’m polite. Very polite.
Most of the time. Let’s, as always, leave work aside for the moment.
I’ll patiently wait for service longer than I should. When I do finally seek attention, it’s nicely.
Which is why New York is the perfect place for someone like me. Why?
Well, this weekend, for example, venturing away from the part of town where everyone knows my name and order …
Saturday 9 pm … walked into a coffee place. One other customer. One worker was making a smoothie. One worker rearranging pastries 3 feet away. One ambiguously busy. None looked up. After a few minutes: “Hi, excuse me, are you all open?”
Mr Smoothie maker: “I said I’ll be with you in a minute”. In a nasty tone.
Bye. Going somewhere else.
Sunday brunch time … People spread across a patio some taking up two tables of two with only one person taking the whole combined four-top. EMO waiter walks by (is emo still a thing?) “Excuse me, is it possible to get a table out back?” (thinking they can separate a two top to make room).
EMO guy looks out the window. “Are they all full? They’re all full” Walks away.
Bye.
Same restaurant, front patio. A two top has an empty stroller instead of a chair, the table used as storage for the stroller. “Hi, excuse me, is there a chair for this table?” (thinking he can move the stroller elsewhere, freeing up a table).
Hipster waiter. “No”
Bye.
So why is this a good thing for a guy like me?
I’ve lived places where you grin, bear it and complain with friends and neighbors about the guy at THE coffee shop.
Here? There’s always somewhere else to go.
Thanks, City. It’s relaxing to have choices.