After leaving my glamorous day job of inspiring deep connections in the minds of today's youth, I change into all black for my secret spy work. OK, only a little bit kidding. I waitress at the best sushi place in the midwest- Umi Grill and sometimes it feels like I'm a secret agent. For about an hour I get a glimpse into couples, families, business meetings, awkward first dates, and I even see what some people don't remember from their intoxicated evening. No, seriously. From the drinks to the edamame, from the Red Dragon roll to the sauteed seafood, you can learn a lot about someone.
1.) People are crazy. Not just the other people--yeah, you too.
2.) Only a few people are particular about an order due to allergies. Most people are picky because they like bossing someone else around!
3.)Remembering a name, a preference, a previous comment can make all the difference. To most of my customers I'm a stranger that they get to see for less than two hours of their week. Even for the regulars, I'm a stranger. But to have a relative stranger remember and care about who you are...well, it reminds you that you are important.
4.)Few customers notice the little kind things you do for them-i.e. making sure their glass is full, quietly clearing dishes between each course, gauging correctly when they want certain things including the check, bringing dessert for a celebration without being told. Few notice, but I will keep doing it anyway.
5.)Seeing people eat wasabi in scary amounts never fails to amuse me. And the tricks people play on each other to get them to eat lots of wasabi are hilarious.
6.)With the other servers you can choose to be helpful and work together or not, but the choice is yours alone. Everyone else will manage just fine without you, but helping builds something more valuable than a meal.
7.) I was born to serve (and not just raw fish) <3
