At this point, we certainly don't need any additional evidence that people get VERY worked-up about assholes, but I can't resist this fantastic post on SF Gate (the San Francisco Chronicle website) by Harmon Leon on "Who are the meanest bartenders in San Francisco?" The best part is the comments, a whopping 468 for a rather sleepy part of blogging universe. This post is brilliant and very funny. For example, consider this excerpt:
The award for the all time meanest bartenders in San Francisco has got to go to the crew at the Zeitgeist. Besides scowling things like, "F-ing yuppies," if someone with a shirt with buttons orders a drink, there is always an unpleasant sort of life-has-kicked-them-in-the-nuts, unhealthy tweaker vibe when you when you try to order a drink.
One time the bartender threw my change at me because I left her 4 quarters as a tip for a beer. (That still equals a dollar, right?) Serious issues. Extra points for the bouncer always doing my favorite non-ironic, closing time speech: "Last call! Drink `em up! You don't have to go home BUT YOU CAN'T STAY HERE!"
I love this, it reminds of a now long dead but famous San Francisco waiter Edsel Ford Fong who was the star attraction at rather mediocre Chinese restaurant. You went there for his brilliant and funny insults.. I once asked him for a fork, which he turned into a public shaming ritual as he made me walk and get it myself while he taunted me for my disrespect of him, his restaurant, and all Chinese people on the planet. He is immortalized at the San Francisco Giants lovely ballpark, where there is a Chinese restaurant named Edsel Ford Fong.
Under the right conditions, a professional asshole can be a lot of fun.
P.S. Here is what Wikipedia says about Edsel. I never saw any groping, but the rest fits my recollection:
As head waiter, Fong greeted visitors with an admonition to "sit down and shut up".[4] He was known for calling patrons "retarded" and "fat", criticizing people's menu choices before telling them what they should order, slamming food on the table, complaining about receiving only 15% tips, and groping female patrons.[2] An imposing man with a crew cut hair style, he also was notorious for seating people with strangers, forgetting orders, cursing, spilling soup on customers, hazing newcomers, refusing to provide forks or English menu translations, and busing tables before diners were finished.[5]
I went to Sam Wo's with a small group once, it must have been in 1982. Ford pointed to a booth that still hadn't been cleaned of plates, etc., got mad when we hesitated, and made us stand and watch the busboys clear it.
Then, as we were sliding in (giving my date a squeeze) he loudly asked, "What you want?" When we asked for menus, he went to get them, then slammed a pad and pencil down, saying, "Write down your order. And add it up!"
We were all laughing, and it really just seemed like a performance, though he never broke character. The other waiter was named Leaky Pan, as I remember.
On the other hand, Zeitgeist's people definitely have it in for the clueless and unready. Do not whine to the cook, do not order a cosmopolitan, and generally try to be prepared with your order and your money. Get a beer, a whiskey, or one of their excellent Bloody Marys, and get out of the way.
Posted by: Scott Underwood | March 30, 2010 at 11:54 AM
Sounds like a charmer! I think I'm going to try this routine the next time I sit down for a job interview. Thought I get the feeling that this is approach that requires a bit of practice before it is perfected.
Posted by: DC Jobs | March 30, 2010 at 03:43 AM