I ate lunch at Chik Fil A recently with my son. He ordered a spicy chicken sandwich and I heard him say something about "coffee". I said I would have the same thing. My son then said, referring to me, "He wants his coffee hot." The guy taking my order looked up at me, saw my advanced age reflected in the lines and creases on my face, and said something like, "Oh. Yea."
I stopped in Dunkin Donuts this morning for the first time in several decades. I ordered a small dark roast coffee and a glazed donut. The lady asked "Hot or cold?" I never had someone ask me if I wanted my donut heated up before. Oh, she wasn't asking about the donut. She was asking about the coffee.
Is this cold coffee thing the latest sign in the continuing degradation of our society?
Has this cold coffee thing been going on for a long time and I'm just now noticing it?
Is it easier to get cold coffee out of new fabric or hot coffee?
I think of all that time and energy spent over my entire lifetime heating up my coffee, and I could have just drank it cold.
Have any old codgers out there drank the Kool Aid and began drinking cold coffee?
Happy Friday on a Wednesday,
gene
I was eating at a breakfast diner several years ago, and ordered biscuits and gravy with my meal.
The biscuits came out room temp, and the gravy was borderline cold. So I sent them back to be warmed up. The manager was very apologetic, and insisted on making me a new batch instead of just nuking the cold ones in the microwave.
When they brought me my new order, they were just as cold as the first one. Then, as I looked around the crowded diner, I noticed that every person in there had at least 20 years on me. I saw a lot of biscuits and gravy being consumed, and no one was complaining. The manager seemed dumbfounded that the replacement biscuits and gravy were still not to my liking.
So, is that a thing that I can expect when I get into my 70's? Or did I just happen to stumble in to a diner that caters to a specific clientele? Seems to fly in the face of Gene's preference of hot coffee.
As a kid, I had an elderly babysitter that would wait for her coffee to cool down completely, then load it up multiple servings of cream and sugar, and then drop a large ice cube in it. I guess she was WAY ahead of her time.
Not there yet.
Stopped by my daughter's place yesterday to do some work. I hadn't drunk my coffee much that morning and it was tepid. She asked if I wanted a coffee to go. She made one in her Keurig and warned me it would be hot. I let it sit in the thermal mug for a couple of miles and took a tiny sip. Hot but fine. A few minutes later I took a larger sip. HOLY COW. It burnt my mouth and gave me a headache. If the window had been open I would have spit it out.
Wheel of Fortune just came on. Did you know Vanna White is 59?! And she makes $4,000,000 a year for looking good and doing a job that does not need to be done.
Cold coffee, lukewarm biscuits and gravy, while watching The Wheel of Fortune. I'm really looking forward to retirement.
gene
But wait, there's more...
Did some work for a guy in a retirement home yesterday -- two walkers, a scooter, three "grabbers", a wall full of snacks and he told me that the cafeteria breakfasts rotated between link sausage, bacon, patty sausage and ham. Once in while pancakes.
Quote from: byhammerandhand on January 20, 2017, 07:52:35 am
But wait, there's more...
Did some work for a guy in a retirement home yesterday -- two walkers, a scooter, three "grabbers", a wall full of snacks and he told me that the cafeteria breakfasts rotated between link sausage, bacon, patty sausage and ham. Once in while pancakes.
I recently did some work for a nursing home. As I was waiting for the director to write me a check, I noticed a check laying on his desk made out to a local donut shop for over $1400. I made some comment that they must have had a big occasion to spend that much on donuts. He said "Nah, not really. We spend that much on donuts every month".
Dipping donuts into a cup of cold coffee while watching The Wheel of Fortune. Retirement's looking better and better.
SofaD: What if that $1400 bill had been for condoms, and not donuts? Or taser guns, and not donuts? Or live chickens and not donuts?
I read that "kinky" is when you use a chicken feather. "Fetish" is when you use the whole chicken.
But I digest.
gene
Here's a story about the future (the VERY near future):
Keith, Dennis, and Gene were all sitting in their rocking chairs at the nursing home one evening.
Keith said "Whew, it's way past my bedtime. It's almost 7PM. I'd better head up to bed." A few minutes later, he yelled down to Gene and Dennis "Hey! I can't remember. Was I getting IN bed? Or getting OUT of bed?"
Gene and Dennis looked at each other and laughed. Dennis said "I'll go help him". As Dennis got halfway up the stairs, he turned back to Gene and asked "Was I going UP the stairs? Or coming DOWN the stairs?"
Gene just rolled his eyes and lifted up a little prayer toward the heavens. "Oh Lord, I don't know what those two would do without me here to take care of them. I just thank you and praise you that at this age, I still have all my wits about me.......knock on wood (tap, tap, tap)................Who-o-o-o is it?"
So, we don't really get off topic on this forum, we just forget what we were talking about.
Alex
A few days later,...
Keith, Dennis, and Gene were all sitting in their rocking chairs at the nursing home one evening.
Right then a shapely young aide walks by and all three lean over and look at her figure.
Keith says, "Boy, if I were thirty years younger, I'd run right over and give her a big hug."
Gene says, "Boy, if I were thirty years younger, I'd run right over and give her a big hug. Then I'd give her a big kiss."
Dennis says, "Boy, if I were thirty years younger, I'd run right over and give her a big hug. Then I'd give her a big kiss. And what was that other thing we used to do???"
(and as it turns out my customer mentioned a name of a guy I know -- he went to my church and I'd done some work for him and his wife. Shortly before going to this home, he was widowed. My customer said, "Oh, do you know his girlfriend, Cindy, she lives right across the hall here." No, I didn't. He said his family was trying to convince him to marry Cindy, but he was working with the home's management (a church-sponsored home) to see if they'd just them move in together.)
QuoteDennis says, "Boy, if I were thirty years younger, I'd run right over and give her a big hug. Then I'd give her a big kiss. And what was that other thing we used to do???"
Get arrested for sexual assault?
Quote from: byhammerandhand on January 22, 2017, 06:39:00 pm
Dennis says, "Boy, if I were thirty years younger, I'd run right over and give her a big hug. Then I'd give her a big kiss. And what was that other thing we used to do???"
Oh yeah, I remember now. I'd give her a big hug, then a big kiss, and then I'd go get on the upholstery forum and go WAY off topic.
Speaking of coffee....... Our home Bunn coffee maker just gave up the ghost after 19 years of faithful service. I ordered a new one that has a thermos container instead of a hot plate. This thing brews coffee in 3 minutes.
I ordered coffee once at a restaurant and the waitress asked me how I wanted it. I told her I like my coffee just like my women,..........Hot & Black.... She shook her head and walked away laughing. Obviously she appreciaes smart aleck old men. :)
Chris
Quote from: Mojo on January 23, 2017, 09:34:27 am
I ordered coffee once at a restaurant and the waitress asked me how I wanted it. I told her I like my coffee just like my women,..........Hot & Black.... She shook her head and walked away laughing. Obviously she appreciaes smart aleck old men. :)
Chris
A good waitress can tell a smart aleck versus a jerk and does appreciate remarks like that. It beats the heck out of the guy b*tching about his coffee being lukewarm ; ) (see how I brought the thread back on topic). THPPPPP
But seriously, waiting tables is hard work and you do like the guys or gals that come in and get you laughing. Especially if they leave you a decent tip.
Virginia
Quote from: byhammerandhand on January 19, 2017, 04:03:17 pm
Did you know Vanna White is 59?! And she makes $4,000,000 a year for looking good and doing a job that does not need to be done.
She probably complains to her grandkids about how rough she had it. "Back in the day, the letters didn't just light up automatically.........I had to turn them myself!"
Ok which of you out there is responsible for this delay?
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16195854_1504141346277805_9108537692319331776_n.jpg?oh=b877693447c2583acdf8666c7e14aff8&oe=59092F14)
I hope those are biodegradable packaging peanuts. Let's keep this forum PC. Just because our new president thinks PC is BS doesn't mean that we all have to start thinking in a rational and logical manner.
gene
It is a job few people could tolerate. I always treat the wait staff with respect but I always try and get a smile and laugh from them. If I see one having a bad day I try and say something to make her smile. Typically waitresses fight to have me sit in their section. Not because I am nice or a stud but I have a tendency to tip heavily if the service is good. They gladly put up with my ugly mug and smart ass ways because of the cash I leave behind. :)
So many are single Mom's or Married Mom's trying to add to a pitiful household income.
Did you know that in Australia you do not tip ? Reason being is he servers make $ 15 an hour with benefits. Our servers make $ 2.45 or something.
Chris
Quote from: Virgs Sew n Sew on January 24, 2017, 04:34:28 am
Quote from: Mojo on January 23, 2017, 09:34:27 am
I ordered coffee once at a restaurant and the waitress asked me how I wanted it. I told her I like my coffee just like my women,..........Hot & Black.... She shook her head and walked away laughing. Obviously she appreciaes smart aleck old men. :)
Chris
A good waitress can tell a smart aleck versus a jerk and does appreciate remarks like that. It beats the heck out of the guy b*tching about his coffee being lukewarm ; ) (see how I brought the thread back on topic). THPPPPP
But seriously, waiting tables is hard work and you do like the guys or gals that come in and get you laughing. Especially if they leave you a decent tip.
Virginia
Bob is the same way. He always tips well, provided the service warrants it. The reward is that we have one waitress in whatever establishment we enter that grabs our table. Our food is always precisely the way we want it and I know that is because they want that tip.
Our breakfast restaurant is one of my customers. I did the last third of their booths, counter stools and 50 plus chairs. Our waitress there is part of the large, Catholic family that owns it. We both feel like she is a friend and she feels the same way about us. If she's not busy with other tables, she chats with us while we eat. At Christmas, we gave her a much larger than normal tip and wished her a Merry Christmas. The next week, she handed Bob our ticket -- the amount due was scratched out and she had written on the ticket "Merry Christmas, you two".
It's been my experience that some of the nicest folks are wait staff. They have to be to withstand some of the treatment, from both management and customers, that they receive. And you are correct, Chris, about them typically being Single or Married Mom's with pitiful household incomes. I believe we could learn something from other countries some times.
Virginia
Quote from: Virgs Sew n Sew on January 26, 2017, 05:37:02 am
Bob is the same way. He always tips well, provided the service warrants it.
I tip the standard 15%, which is probably considered chintzy nowadays. But I'll be damned if I'm going to pay exorbitant prices for my food and then pay the help's salary on top of that.
I think waitstaff should be paid a living wage in addition to any tips they can earn. But of course, that would drive food prices so high, that people would tip less. The restaurant biz is a hard hustle. You see places all the time that are seemingly always packed with customers, yet the business fails anyway.
I have a friend that waits tables at a "mom & pop" restaurant. The owner also waits tables. She gives herself the good section with the big tippers, and assigns my friend the "family" section with all the screaming kids.
For those of you that do work for restaurants, do you find that they think you should be getting $2.45 an hour for your labor? In my limited experience with them, yes.
I used to do a lot of chair re-glues for the upscale pancake house down the street from my old house. These chairs were well beyond their life, almost disgusting in the amount of wear and tear, to say nothing of the looseness. I think I finally convinced the owner to pick up some new ones, which he started gradually doing.
Topic drift -- isn't that something to do with sailboats?
Quote from: byhammerandhand on January 26, 2017, 01:39:31 pm
For those of you that do work for restaurants, do you find that they think you should be getting $2.45 an hour for your labor? In my limited experience with them, yes.
Not quite that bad but close. The restaurants I worked at were competitively priced with their competitors, perhaps even a tad higher. But they all whined about how they could barely afford to do this, yada, yada, yada. Being hungry for work, I took the jobs.
When I did the bar/grill, the manager was putting everything either on a business note or the owner's tab and he paid me what I was worth. I was very sorry when that job was completed as he never tried to bargain me down, never blinked an eye. I would give him an invoice, he would eyeball it over and write me a check.
Virginia
Quote from: byhammerandhand on January 26, 2017, 01:39:31 pm
For those of you that do work for restaurants, do you find that they think you should be getting $2.45 an hour for your labor?
It depends. If it's a major chain restaurant, they don't complain much about the price. They just send the bill to the corporate office.
BUT if it's a sole proprietor, YES!! (they expect you to work for $2.45 an hour). And they want you to do it after hours so none of their customers are displaced. It's even worse if the sole proprietor is of Asian or middle eastern descent. Never done any work for Hispanics. They always just make their staff (waiter, busboy, cook, etc.) do a "wrap job" on the booths and seats.
I did have an owner of a steakhouse complain once that my price had gone up nearly 30% since the last time I did his booths about 10 years earlier. I explained to him "Well you see, a lot of things have gone up in the last 10 years. Vinyl has gone up. Foam and supplies have gone up. And your steaks have gone up."
This may actually be a great new way to keep the discussions about upholstery. All we have to do is
start out off-topic, and then we'll gradually drift
back on to an upholstery related topic.