It's a dangerous world

So I'm reading Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane. It's a good book, and I'm enjoying it, but parts of it scare me a little. One of the protagonists works as a waitress (until she gets fired) and talks about the things her coworkers do:

1) spit in food (I've heard of this before)
2) putting credit cards where the sun don't shine
3) most horrifically, in my opinion...dipping used utensils into the water pitcher to "clean" them and pouring people water from the pitcher. She advises everyone eating at a restaurant to get bottled water.

#3 bothers me the most because #1 and #2 are only done in anger, but #3 is a routine practice. According to the author, anyway. I've never worked in a real restaurant -- Taco Bell in high school doesn't count. They had plastic forks and knives. And I can assure you that the vats the beans are kept in are washed. I know because I did it myself.

I'm scared to eat out now.

Comments

Caro said…
Oohhh!

I ALWAYS drink water. It's my favorite drink.

It's good we don't eat out much I guess.
Caro said…
Actually I meant

"eeewwww" not "oohhh".
Roxanne said…
I've cleaned the taco bell bean pot too! I worked there for 2 months and cooked more 20# bags of meat than I care to remember.

I don't think I want to read that book. I'd rather be naive to all the nasty behind the scenes that go on. :)
Anonymous said…
I agree with CU. Have you ever read "Down and Out in Paris and London" by George Orwell? He works as a bus boy in that memoir.
Anonymous said…
I just watched the movie "Waiting" over the weeekend, about the wait staff in a Ruby Tuesdays-type restaurant.

Ugh. There was some real nastiness going on there.
verniciousknids said…
I'd go for the bottled water...because it just tastes better!
Bearette said…
C - D sometimes drinks the whole pitcher ;)

R - wasn't it a gross experience? ;)

CU - I have seen gunk, sometimes. But i always ask for a new glass.

A - i'm surprised george worked as a busboy! maybe i should read it.

L - never saw that. i was interested, though, because Alanis Morrisette's fiance was in it.

VK - I hate paying for water though ;)
Bearette said…
On a further note, bottled water is apparently labeled "fat free" in some venues in L.A. Wow.
Roxanne said…
Definitely a gross experience, but I'm sad to say that I still eat there.

They label licorice as "fat free" also. Umm...yeah...I hope there's no animal products in licorice.
Roxanne said…
Definitely a gross experience, but I'm sad to say that I still eat there.

They label licorice as "fat free" also. Umm...yeah...I hope there's no animal products in licorice.
SK said…
Well I'm almost finished reading Fast Food Nation and am totally disgusted and freaked out by everything.

I will never eat strawberry yogurt again and I'm sickened by the meat industry. Mike said some things we are just better off not knowing. I'm starting to wonder.... otherwise am I going to live my life in a bubble?
Elsa said…
Ooooooo - gross! I think I prefer to be ignorant on these things. I figured it hasn't killed me thus far - so I prefer to be oblivious to these unsanitary practices than know about them and not be able to do anything about them - especially since it's not likely I will stop eating out altogether.

I'm definitely not reading that book! ;)
Bearette said…
Lost - what's wrong with strawberry yogurt? tell, tell.

Elsa - it's actually a good book otherwise.
verniciousknids said…
I used to hate paying for water too...but as J-water is the most disgusting thing in the universe - I've gotten over it :)

Fast Food Nation freaked me out for a very long time!

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