Word Confusion (Part 3): At Work

You know how when you’re super-tired you do everything on autopilot? As a waitress, it’s not good to be sleepy on shift. But it happens. And when it does, I do the normal things that tired people do – I forget to bring straws, ask the same question twice, or accidently bring food to the wrong table. 

But I also confuse my words when I’m exhausted at work. When asking what side choices a customer wants with his or her entrée, I am supposed to ask, “Would you like that with red potatoes, a baked potato, rice pilaf, penne pasta, sliced tomatoes, cottage cheese, or French fries?” Too often it has come out – or some variation of – “Would you like red pilaf, potatoes, penne tomatoes, French cheese or French fries.”

If the guest chooses a baked potato, I am supposed to ask if they want it with butter, sour cream, and chives. But when tired, I tend to ask what kind of dressing they want for their baked potato.

When I check back on a table, I am supposed to ask, “And how is the Halibut tonight?” But when I’m tired, I forget what fish they ordered and try to figure it out by looking. Unfortunately wood fired Snapper can look a lot like wood fired Mahi Mahi, which also resembles Halibut in color. I learned the hard way that blurting out what fish you think it looks like usually results in confused, and sometimes put-out, customers. Now if I’m feeling tired, I don’t even bother. I just ask: “How’s everything tasting?”

After they’ve finished eating, I am supposed to suggest two desserts. I often recommend Chocolate Ganache and Key Lime Pie. But when I’m tired, for some reason I almost always ask: “How about some Chocolate Ganache or Fishermen Stew?” This typically produces curious looks or amused chuckles from the guests. And if I wasn’t so tired during these episodes, I probably would have blushed.  

I can’t tell you how many times these sorts of incidents have happened. I guess the moral of the story is: Get more sleep.