Strong Verbs Are Just Better

Had an AWESOME time at work tonight. Or maybe I only think that because the chief barwoman and baristress made me a mocha, and now i'm on a caffeine high.
Also, I think I've finally managed to get the hang of the doing-five-things-at-once thing. The way it goes at Swanky Restaurant Number Three is that on quiet nights I get assigned the bar, and on busy nights I'm assigned to run drinks and generally assist the chief barwoman. Thing is, I'm *also* supposed to be keeping an eye on the rest of the shop and subbing in wherever I'm needed- seating, taking orders, running food, clearing, as backup to the people who will have been specifically assigned any of these tasks. This was mindboggling, to say the least, for the first few weeks. But in the last week or so I've had a couple of two-person shifts, quiet ones where I've had to do some of *everything*, and can keep track of how it all happens and at what pace. That really makes the difference when you get in to find you're keeping up with three other waitstaff and ninety customers. NINETY.
Anyway. I seemed to manage it without breaking anything, and to keep the glasses washed and polished at the same time. We did run out of forks in the first hour, but that wasn't my fault.


There were fireworks tonight. Manic!Manager was on, so the firework show was accompanied by much "AMY, LOOK! FIREWORKS!" and "Oy, Table 10, check out the fireworks!". A few of the customers were a little scared, I think. Come the Grand Finale Firework Attack, she lost her head entirely and raced out the front of the shop, yelling "All my staff out side NOW. Customers can leave your money on the bench, we're off to watch the fireworks!"
Then she gave the outside front table a heart attack by breaking into loud cheering at the end of the fireworks.


*boingboingbounce*


There's just three of us on tomorrow night, Christmas Eve in Nelson Bay. This is a silly state of affairs, but Manic!Manager already asked the boss for extra staff and nothing doing. We will have matching Santa hats and be closing off orders after 7.30. So hopefully I'll be home before eleven, since I'm staying in Joel's room for the next week or so, and he'll be up at six on Christmas Day. Lucky guy, he has to work christmas...
But then, I'm on double shift on boxing day. Which, after Christmas Eve and then the manic organisational nighmare which passes for Christmas Day in our family (fortunately, numbers for the church lunch have dropped to thirty), should be LOTS of fun. Come home Christmas afternoon and I've been assigned the Task of cooking desserts for family lunch on boxing day... which I won't be here to eat, since I start at 12. Dad's going to run me out there on the bike, so's we can squeeze through the Boxing Day Bottleneck on Nelson Bay Road, and he'll have to come back for me in the evening. Dunno what i'll do with myself in the middle of the day- Manic!Manager did suggest I hide out at her place for a few hours, so I might do that.


*bouncebounceboing* ok, i'm starting to come down off this high now...


and instead, I shall offer you my

Enlightened Advice On Eating At Swanky Seafood Restaurants Without Spending A Whole Week's Paycheck


*BYO wine. Seriously, this will be cheaper than even buying soft drink at a Swanky Restaurant. $3 corkage per person isn't even equal to the cost of ONE glass of soft drink.
*Eat lunch rather than dinner. At Swanky Restaurant Number Three, we have a separate light lunch menu, where you can order a "lunch platter", which has most of the ingredients of the large and hideously expensive dinner platters, but, unlike them, does not contain enough food to feed a small african nation for a week. The lunch version will set you back about thirty dollars, which is an acceptable price to pay for a swanky meal, as opposed the usual price, which is roughly equal to the GDP of a small african nation.
*If ordering the full platter, eat a platter for one between two or three people.
*Order breads for starters, rather than entree dishes.
*If eating a dish for dinner which is ALSO on the entree menu (for example, calamari), order an entree size.
*If in Australia, order something with Balmain Bay Bugs or Morton Bay Bugs rather than lobster. Cheaper, possibly not QUITE as nice, but still a nice Swanky Treat Meal.
*Although we do do some good desserts, and good coffee (at least, when I'm not making the coffee we do good coffee), you could always skip that course, pay your bill (*coughandtipyourwaitressescough*) and go for a walk before coming back and buying icecream from the gelato place downstairs. Better for your pocket and your waistline.


some snarky observations:

*if you arrive early in the evening, you get your meal quicker. Amazing, isn't it?
*if your party booking lurk in the restuarant until midnight or later, we will want to stab you. Likewise when you turn up with four extra people, and we were allready booked full. (hoo boy, do I now feel sorry for the staff at the restaurant in Glebe upon which medievalists descend after the public lectures. Remind me to leave them a tip next time I end up there talking in french to my teacher about the woes of my love life until 11.30 at night.)
*no, this isn't Sydney. No, you WON'T get a walk-in table at 9pm. For that matter, you probably won't get a booked table that late either.
*what string of logic leads you to believe there will be any vacant tables at 7.30pm on a saturday night in one of the only three Swanky Restaurants in town?
*likewise, if you have ten people in your family, how have you not yet figured out that it is a good idea to book when you go out?
*also, a Seafood Restaurant doesn't sell spit roast. Shocking, I know.



and with that, i am all bounced out and am going to sleep in my own bed for the last time in a week or so.