Hey, Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray

Rating:
Summary: Waiting Tables for Godot
Review: I confess, I skipped the short history of waitressing at the start of the book to go straight to the interviews. These stories are fascinating.

This could have been a depressing expose about the low pay and poor conditions inherent in waiting. But Owings evidently has quite an admiration for waitresses, and she manages to bring out the pride these women have for their work. Even waitresses who hate the job are proud of some aspect of what they do.

The diversity of waitresses interviewed was impressive: from truckstops to Chez Panisse, from Alaska to Louisiana, from the Forties to the Millennium, from poor waitresses to not-so-poor (there are no rich waitresses), from high school dropouts to PhDs.

This is a wonderful book to include with Nickel and Dimed and Waiting by Ginsburg.

Rating:
Summary: Wisdom... and the price is right
Review: I had to force myself to get past the author's introduction, I have a strong negative bias toward feminist manifestos, but once Ms. Owings was finished with her political ranting she introduced me to a pretty interesting group of waitresses. Some are positive, some negative, some hate their job, some love it, and each story is interesting and unique.

The concise biographical sketches average about five pages each and the women frankly describe their experiences and their lives. Single moms, married women, waitresses in diners, franchises, and fancy high class restaurants talk about cooks grabbing, customers grunting and owners screaming. A few might fit the "waitress" stereotype but they are all very different people from different backgrounds and the author does an excellent job describing them and their circumstances as well as their pressures on the job. Some waitressed short term, others are "lifers" with up to 50 years of experience. Most of the women are likeable and some are downright heroic. They all describe a job with similar pressures, and how they try to deal with them. Even the cloistered nun who served the other nuns at mealtime had to deal with stresses unique to serving food to others.

Since the vignettes are a few pages each the book is easy to pick up and put down, it is not necessary to set aside a block of reading time. I enjoyed it more than I expected, it may not be great literature but the frankness and intimacy of their stories has a compelling power. It's worth a few hours to meet these ladies.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the world of waitressing
Review: I learned about this book from Smithsonian magazine's book reviews and was immediately intrigued. I, too, glossed over the brief history of waitressing in the beginning of the book to get right to the interviews. The part of the book I enjoyed most was the section on the women who have been involved (albeit peripherally at times) in major historical events by way of their profession. It was also very eye-opening as to the structure and dynamics of the restaurant system and the pay structure. I first became aware of the abuses in this system when a good friend of mine worked for a major sit-down dining chain in the United States while we were in college. His pay as a waiter was based only on tips (no hourly wage at all), and he was once "rewarded" for his excellent service by a large party of customers who paid for their dinner via a gift certificate, leaving the $0.11 balance as their tip. This book merely confirmed that such experiences are not necessarily that rare. It also provides some data on how waitresses perceive their customers which was also fascinating. I do leave a little extra now when dining out....

Rating:
Summary: Hey,Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray
Review: This thought provoking book was an eye opener for me. Similar to Nickel and Dimed - which I loved - it brings you into the lives of a hardworking segment of our workforce that is often overlooked and underappreciated. I had no idea of the physical, mental, and emotional challenges waitresses face (often with grace and humility) on a daily basis at diners and four-star restaurants alike. Reading the stories of these women - some sad, some funny, all interesting and compelling - forever changed the way I look at and treat waitresses. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in deepening their understanding of the lives of people we see everyday but might not otherwise have a chance to know.

Rating:
Summary: Wisdom... and the price is right
Review: Where ever is wisdom available to working women?

Here it is in "Hey, Waitress."
The bright and lively novella-like interviews
shine a brilliant and witty light on all our lives.