Carpe Dago(I get some protective karma points on this one since I was born in Rome. Besides, it's not even a particularly good or appropos pun, so the penalty's built in. Pity me.)
Two items connected to food and the human elements of getting it.
One story that's been playing out for approaching two weeks involves Geno's Steaks in nearby South Philadelphia. Some details have shifted between early reports and more recent reports where the restaurant has made it clear that this isn't something they've enforced, and so is not a discriminatory process, but is instead a matter of the business owner's exercise of free speech.As you can see at left it's the blue sign in the middle - "This Is America When ordering 'SPEAK ENGLISH'" - that's causing the ruckus. That it's placed above a standard sign saying how the Management reserved the right to refuse service led many to jump to the worst conclusions. Separate signs, nothing to pin it down as a combined policy statement.
It's a private business, and I can't say I'm completely unsympathetic to his view... but man, isn't that a terrible message to display in a supposed City of Brotherly Love? I'm not finding it the huge issue the media's been making of it. It's buzz, and while it's momentarily polarizing buzz it's still ultimately likely to fall under the adage that there ain't no such thing as bad publicity. The man's a business owner; if it starts to kill off his business he'll likely fold and even recant. His business, his decision. Moving on...
While looking for something else I stumbled across a site dedicated to pitching arguments for tipping the pizza delivery person, going so far as to attempt a point-by-point comparison of the duties of a wait-person in a restaurant and a delivery driver.
It's an interesting little community as they share tales of the highs and lows of the job of delivering food for substandard wages, where "tips" are an important part of the economic picture. The issue of tips, what they are, what they were supposed to me, what's appropriate and what's expected is the issue I decided to kick around on their message board.
Comments
What are we supposaed to make of that?! Do I say, "Hey- I paid for delivery, man!" or do I deduct it from the tip? Or just give the guy 3 frickin' dollars for driving 1/2 a mile?
"Pick-up" is starting to sound better and better.
Even Hizzonner John Street said everyone's wasting too much energy on the Geno's sign .
Whigkqly!
I tip the pizza guy $5 minimum, 15% if a larger order. But then it's more than a 1/2 mile drive to my house from any pizzaria (more like 3 miles). And I usually pick up anyway.
Ironically, when I read your post this morning, I had just gotten another political email forward from my favorite coworker and he was back at my desk all head up over democrats voting down English as the National Language for America. The email didn't mention any of the other 599 pages of the immigration reform legislation or the "few" other items involved. I sent him a link to the Geno's Steaks story. I'm sure he enjoyed it.