If you or a friend has ever worked in the restaurant/hospitality business, you know how much it sucks when people don`t leave a deserving tip (or so I`ve heard, speaking as that stingy asian who never gives a cent above 15%). Serving tables is tough work in the US! But consider this: rather than succumbing to displaying your yonkers or smiling `til your jaw snaps, I've found a simpler solution to earn your fair pay... work as a waitress/waiter in France!
The advantages of waiting tables in a bistro abroad far outweigh whatever plane costs and visa issues you may encounter if seriously pursuing this plan. See for yourself:
The Perks of Waitressing in France
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| Can I have some cheese with that wine? |
1) Get paid an hourly wage. And often not a bad one, either. Europe does not share the same tipping culture as America, so your paycheck will surmount to the same whether or not you bend & snap. And often times customers, mainly men who don't like jingly change in their pockets, still leave tips anyway (and believe me, each 2euro coin left on the table really adds up!) Not to mention that waiters get the same health benefits as anyone else, which I'll explain in a future post.
2) Work stress-free. Knowing that the paycheck stays the same whether you serve 25 tables a night or only 3, waiters can work at their own, leisurely pace. Would you like a refill, sir? Let me bring it to you in 10 minutes. À toute suite!
3) Work outside. Pretty much all cafés and many restaurants have an outside terrace, so work that tan while you work that platter!
4) No doggy bags. Taking home unfinished food is a big non non in France, which means no fuss over finding the right sized-boxes and scooping up half-eaten lasagna. Just dump those plates straight in the bin!
As you can see, the lifestyle of waiters in France quite closely resembles that of the rich & famous (or at least according to Good Charlotte). But as all good things must come to an end, the pleasures of working in restaurants do not quite cross over to the people who eat at them.
B. Eating at Restaurants
What a Happy Waiting Staff Means for Everyone Else
(aka not good news)
2) Service is a zero. On the plus side, no one gets annoyed at the interrupting waiter offering more water every 5 minutes. On the negative, if you actually need that refill, you're screwed. In France, waitresses take their sweet-ass time. They could care less if you can't read the menu or if your vegetarian sister accidentally received the salade de gesiers (duck gizzards) rather than de Roquefort (blue cheese). If they're on one of a dozen smoke breaks, she's gonna have to wait.
3) Eat Outside. A good thing all around, as long as you don't mind the smell of smoke or dog poo.
4) No doggy bags. Those who've had the pleasure of dining at Maggiano's can empathize. Imagine my utter heartbreak of discovering the cruel, sadistic custom in France of not bringing home leftovers. Down right Anarchy!! Why, my family only eats out for the soul joy of finding Styrofoam box presents in the fridge the next evening. Yet according to the French, leftovers connote weakness (or more likely a lack of sophistication). You either suck it up and finish your plate, or let those crispy 8 euro-each frog legs go to waste. Quite a sad dilemma, considering how delicious the food tastes yet how badly you've resisted overeating in order to fit in those Parisian skinny jeans.
As you can see, eating out in France quite closely resembles paying for the mortgage of a house that you can't afford. Suddenly a whopper doesn't sound all that bad.
C. Cigarettes
I will conclude this debate between feeder and eater with a seemingly unrelated yet completely intertwined topic.... cigarettes. Perhaps I'm paranoid of second-hand smoke, or maybe the fumes of the dude puffing à côté de moi have gotten to my brain and keyboard, but something must be said (and in my opinion, done) about the smoking habits here. The average Francophone youth cannot even sit for one meal without getting up twice for a drag. Each time I arrive to soccer practice, I squint my eyes (more than naturally) to find the entrance gate behind the clouds of smoke dispersed by fellow teammates. And don't even bother wearing perfume when you sortir... every bar forces on you a free trial of their latest line, tabacco spice. I'm not saying all Americans learned their lessons back in Junior High school D.A.R.E. class, but it's as if people are not even aware of any possible health risks of the reef.CODA
Anyone who understand music knows that the coda ties back together the seemingly incongruent parts A, B, and C* (*this is not true). But this time, I'll leave it up to you to draw the connections, as I literally cannot sit at this café for a minute longer. My advice? Those coming to frenchy-land can choose one of three possible paths:
1) Work as a waitress in France, have a good life, smoke cigarettes;
2) Eat at a French restaurant, go broke with no leftovers to show for it, smoke cigarettes instead; or
3) Live off baguettes and cheese from the supermarché…. and just don't smoke cigarettes.
(answer in bold)
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