Thursday, November 8, 2012

Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg (CBR-IV #43)

Cannonball Read IV: Book #43/52
Published: 2000
Pages: 298
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir 

I was a waitress in college and I LOVED it. It's such a hard job, but so satisfying to walk away every night with a wad of cash. I've always thought the world would be a little bit of a better place if every person had to spend six months of their life as a waiter or waitress. You literally learn to deal with every type of person whether as a customer or as a co-worker. 

I picked up this book at a used bookstore and was hoping it was better than the behind-the-scenes book I read last year about the cruise ship waiter. It was okay, but focused more on the writer's personal life than his actual job. Waiting was the waitressing memoir I'd been looking for. 

Debra has basically been a waitress at various places her entire life. She has a college degree, but chooses to be a waitress instead. That may seem strange to some, but I can understand her. I have a college degree, but I have thought about going back to waitressing sometimes. There really is no other job like it. This book follows Debra's various waitressing jobs starting when she was a teenager. I loved her writing - she's funny and never goes off on unrelated tangents for too long like some memoirs. She shares stores about customers as well as co-workers and what goes on behind the scenes. It's a very well-rounded view of working in a restaurant. 

Highly recommended if you have ever worked in the restaurant industry. If you haven't -- well, read at your own risk. Sometimes it's best not to know what goes on after hours or back in the kitchen. 

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