Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Fed Up With Food Service

Over the years a mix of hectic schedules and laziness have kept me eating out pretty regularly and have noticed a pretty disturbing trend that has spread like a virus through our food industry.

That virus is apathy. I remember working at Burger King back in high school. Not the most glorious job but as a 16 year old with a brand new driver's license and a desire to be more independent, it was very exciting. I wasn't excited about flipping burgers or coming home smelling like a grease trap, I was excited to have a job and my own money.

Even back then, I could see from some of my own co-workers (as well as other establishments I frequented) that a good percentage of fast-food workers were unhappy with their current situation. Maybe they were embarrassed to be working in fast food. Maybe they felt they "deserved better". Hell, maybe they were just lazy.

Years have passed and now it seems more and more you see this apathetic attitude in food service. Not just in fast food, but also in your "sit down restaurants" as well. I get that it's not a great job, I get that it's not fun or even rewarding most times, but it is YOUR JOB.

I'm not one of those "be glad you have a job" types (although I do realize they are not easy to come by these days). My mindset is that if you don't like where you are, use that energy to better yourself and your situation. Don't half-ass my meal or service because you feel like you deserve better, be the best damn worker you can be and use that mindset to aim for your next set of goals.

Basically what I'm trying to say is take pride in what you do, regardless of what it is. If you want better, bust your ass and get it instead of moping around waiting for someone else to fix things for you.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

I Do... Or Do I?


This is probably the one and only time you'll see me say anything about Kim Kardashian that isn't accompanied by a picture of her wearing something slutty. Actually...


There, that's better. Now on to my point, for those who don't own a television (or manage to actually avoid all the celebrity blah blah) Kim recently married NBA player Kris Humphries after a very short dating and engagement period. I had a feeling the wedding was a big publicity stunt or a scheme to get richer... and it seems I was exactly right.

After only 3 months, Kim and Kris have filed for divorce. Now Kim's version of the story is that she got caught up in the moment and should have ended it sooner. She claims there was no plan to end things so quickly, which may not be a total lie but I doubt it's completely true.

I think the plan was to put Kim in a wedding gown and stand some semi-celebrity next to her in a tuxedo and make a special episode of Kardashian "Reality" TV. Although I have to say, the thing that really bothers me about this is how many families allow this crap in their homes.

Shows like South Park and Family Guy are hated constantly for pushing boundaries that some see as "inappropriate" and "negative influences on kids" but watching a porn star (in case you forgot, the whole family got famous after Kim had sex with Ray J on home video) use marriage as a money making publicity stunt. What does that teach kids? "Honey, it's ok to marry someone you don't like as long as you're getting paid a shitload of money."

I would like to think this would open peoples eyes to how fake "reality" tv really is but sadly I doubt it. Maybe one day people will remember that reality is what happens outside your front door every day, not what's coming on tonight on E!

And one final thought to really stir the pot: How can people stand behind the ideology that we as a country must ban gay marriage to protect the "sanctity of marriage" when a heterosexual couple like this make a joke of it in front of the entire nation? Chew on that...