As my J1 adventure dwindles down into the final weeks, I have said "GOODBYE", to employment at T.G.I Friday's and it is one bout of employment I won't ever forget. The establishment, the employees & the downright peculiar customers have left a lasting impression in my brain for life.
Before I started working, when I was being interviewed for the job, I lied saying I had had previous serving experience. That is one thing that was obviously lacking on my first day of work. I didn't know how to hold a plate, hold multiple drinks at once or even understand the difference between a Caesar Salad & a House Salad. Being honest, if it wasn't for my friend previously working there during her J1 last year, I don't think I would have been kept on. One thing I can say now, however, is that I am a whiz at the 'ol serving. I only dropped glasses twice during my 3 month stint. The first time was fine as it was a plastic cup of water. Take 2 was a bit more dangerous as I dropped 3 glasses on an OAP. In my defence though, he DID take the glasses off my tray which unbalanced it, so I'm going to blame him. Luckily, there was no harm done and not a smashed glass was to be seen anywhere.
The employees, well, I don't even know where to begin. From 20 year olds acting as though they're going through menopause & routinely crying to drug users being suspended for stinking of BO, they are an eclectic (I use that word loosely) bunch of people. There were a lot of people of Spanish origin working there who spoke the language constantly. I was talking to one of them and happened to mention we don't have much Spanish speakers back home in Ireland and their reply was, "Yeah, but isn't that because you are all racist in Ireland?". I just laughed awkwardly at the response as I was dumbfounded that that was something people over in the States must think about us. I wouldn't call it ignorance, I'd put it down to being uneducated about us. I mean after all, another co-worker of mine thought the Irish language was a made up language used purely in tales & fables.
As odd and unconventional as the employees were, they are also some of the nicest people I have met. They appreciated us Irish who were working there so much as we always said "Please" and "Thanks". Words & manners which seem to have been lost somewhere in America over the years. In a country with such a large population & a country with such a large influence on the rest of the world, you would think they would be more courteous. Walking on the sidewalk is one of the most rude experiences you will encounter but that's a conversation for a different day.
Ferris Bueller & Disney Kid are among some of the names I was given by customers over the summer. I'm not going to lie, I took them both as a compliment. FB was a cool guy and I WISH I had been a Disney kid, hanging out with the likes of Selena & Miley and currently twerking away these days in my mansion in LA but ALAS I am on the other end of the spectrum. Patrons trying to guess where my accent was from was always a fun part of the day. Most of the time people would guess European alright but rarely they'd say Irish. I got German, Danish & English a good bit. Even Canadian once or twice. Really, Canadian?! One guy was dumbfounded I was Irish because I didn't speak with a, "Higgledy, Piggledy" accent. I got a laugh out of that to be honest. Americans just say what's on their mind. That's something which was entertaining but was also bad when it came to complaints.
For some reason, complaining about food here in the States & getting free/discounted food is totally the norm. I don't understand it. I mean, if your food is under-cooked, alright that's fine but some people take advantage of it. I had one woman who ordered a spinach flat bread, which is topped with cheese. The woman ate 3/4 of her flat bread, then informed me it was "Too cheesy", and it was then taken off her bill. I mean what?! YOU ATE NEARLY ALL OF IT AND NOW YOU GET IT FOR FREE?! My mind is baffled. I think restaurant owners need to put their foot down in those sort of circumstances but that's their problem.
In a nutshell, after a week chocked with job applications, interviews & Craigslist searching ( The Job Listings not Men Seeking Men section obviously) back when I first arrived here in June, I am delighted I got the opportunity to work at T.G.I's over the summer. Memories, Friends & little money were made and I enjoyed (almost) every second of it.
