"I'll be honest with you. I'm Jewish. So I have no problems with the jewish race, but kosher people, they're just very demanding with stupid illogical shit. With their plastic silverware, disgusting food..."

--Blummy who waits tables up in the teens

So this is the final part of my interview with Blummy. I have to say that he had one of the most acerbic tongues, really cutting, but at the same time quite insightful. I will definitely miss his voice and wit. Just to remind those who might have forgotten, he works at an award winning restaurant in the teens.

By the way, as a postscript to this post...I called Blummy up a couple of weeks ago and he told me that he had recently gotten fired from his restaurant for insubordination. Talking back to a manager. Guess that's not too surprising, judging from his confrontational manner, but I have a feeling that he'll soon be back on the restaurant scene. For the moment, he's working with some friends on a magazine.

Best of luck, Blummy.

*******************

We have a tight restaurant. The kitchen understands that we are the middle between them and the customers. They don't fuck with us. Now if you come down with some stupid ass request, the chef will yell at you just because he's aggravated, but just don't go down with stupid requests.

And the bartender is cool. As a professional, you know when he's backed up and has a thousand things to do.

I've been fired numerous times, but if you're gonna' bark and me unjustly, I'm gonna' bark right back. I've done it all-insubordination, talking back to my manager 'cause he didn't know his dick from a hole in the ground.

That last time was over side work. He assigned two people to do something that only required one. It was a waste of manpower. The guy was brand new. He had a resume but that was about it but no communication skills. He was a dickhead from the get go, and I already knew the place.

If I had told him, "Okay, here's an apron, please work the floor." He wouldn't have known what to do. So here he is stepping in with his status and telling me how to work? Fuck him. Especially when he is giving me bad advice. And I should tell him what to do to help him out, but he didn't like that 'cause I was steppin' on his toes.

I just didn't include that place on my resume. Plus, don't forget. I have a bachelor's degree from the Culinary Institute of America which is the Harvard of the restaurant business. And most of my friends I graduated with are executive chefs or dining room managers, so I can just get a job at the next place, which is all family.

One of my boys is opening up a really large project and he got me into my restaurant where I am now. So it's all about networking.
12:11:25 AM     comment []