I know that I should know better and I usually know and do better, but sometimes, I just feel my "Jersey" coming out. (I grew up in New Jersey until I was 11 y/o.) The difference between people on the West Coast and people on East Coast is that the people on the East Coast will tell you to go to Hell to your face, out West they will likely gossip about you. Let's just put it this way, they are not used to polite bluntness. Like I said, I usually keep myself in line, but it must be the holiday spirit or some spirit making it self known, cause, JEESH!!
Okay, so here are my two examples which just happened. It's like I want to slap folks upside the head and say, "Did your Mama teach you that? Because if you she did, she's got some Splaining to do!!!"
I'm walking into my local branch of a Chain pharmacy and up pull two twenty something females, one of whom is smoking a cigarette. She throws the lit butt of her cigarette on the sidewalk, at my feet. And Merry Christmas to you too, I hadn't thought to put a smoldering cigarette butt on my list, but Heck, I am the Gal with Everything, Right? I said, "You dropped something, gee couldn't you have put it out?" She ignored me in the studied way of young adults and kept on walking. I overcame my disgust and borderline germophobia to pick up the lit cigarette and extinguish it on her windshield and tuck it neatly into the windshield wipers. Merry Christmas to you too.
Well, that's not the capper, I had more fun and games tonight at my husband's partner's Christmas party at his beautiful home in Pasadena. (I love Pasadena btw, and for you watchers of the Rose Bowl Parade, the viewing stands and parade route along Orange Grove Avenue are all ready!)
So, I'm at this nice party in chi-chi Pasadena and partaking of the beautiful buffet which included smoked salmon, ham, salads, rolls, and other yummies. In front of me, another guest, a medical professional no less, was also helping himself to the buffet with his bare fingers!! He scooped up the soft smoked salmon and ham with his Fingers !!! And the serving utensils were right there, sitting Right There, just waiting to be put to use. I made sure to cut my portion from the other side of the fish and meat. Wow, just Wow, the little kids at the party had better manners than this clown. The other guest at the buffet table and I were stunned.
I walked out to my husband who was talking to this man's wife and I said to her, "Your husband might want to use the utensils next time he goes through the buffet line." (I swear, I just freaking couldn't help myself. Of course I should have said something to the offending party, but I was rendered momentarily speechless, if you can imagine.) The wife smiled and said, "I've been married to him for 40 years, I can't change him now". Well, maybe you have, lady, and not to the Good.
Holy Cow! No harm done though (except if I get food poisoning or something), and it makes for a good story.
Thank you for stopping by and I send my best to you and yours for either civility or a good story, hopefully both.
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13 comments:
LOL. This is soooo funny!
My previous supervisor was from New York, and I'm a small-town girl from Utah. At the beginning, there were many tears, but by the time I quit (to become a SAHM for Chloe) he could tell me to go to hell, and it would end in laughter and smiles. In fact, I think that experience taught me to prefer to 'just say it like it is.'
Love it!
i left new jersey when i was 17. next time you see such behavior at a buffet, don't talk to the guy's poor wife... i suggest this:
yo, idiot... yeah, you... you with the fingers in the meat?... you know what we call this back where i come from? we call it a friggin spoon. yeah... you... don't put your plate down and try to hide when im tawkin to you... yo, somebody trip that fool running for the coat room, would ya?
Ooooo -Martha I would looove to hear you speak that way. I'm used to the lovey dovey good-all-over martha.
Great stories and great image!
You know, that is one of the most brilliant lines I have heard in a long time.
I can totally see you, looking very polite, with a great big smile and a look of amazement, saying "Did your mama teach you that?".
See what I mean?? I haden't even recovered from that post when you turn around and give me the loveiest, doviest award possible!
Thank you my sweet friend.
Martha, you've got the balls that I don't have!
I especially love what you did with that cigarette butt. You're awesome.
The cigarette butt issue is one that just makes me bonkers. Here's what I wrote about it:
http://jason-thejasonshow.blogspot.com/2007/10/my-environmental-pet-peeve.html
Some days you just have to be the hall monitor for the world. I'm not much for confronting people, but I really enjoy it when others say what I was thinking. Thanks for a laugh today!
Oh, Miss Martha, you wouldn't survive very long here in Portugal! Throwing lit cigarette butts on the ground and not using serving utensils is nothing compared to some of the things you get on this side of the Atlantic. I think I've just got used to it. But the one thing that really drives me crazy and I'll never get used to is old men spitting on the ground. YUCK!
beijinho,
RA
People have no manners. We get free lunch sandwich buffet at work every Wednesday. People always overpass the utensils. It's gross! I rarely eat the food, unless I'm the first one in the kitchen.
On a different note, I hope you and your family have a great Christmas:)
LOL, of course I can do that because I wasn't in line behind the jerk at the buffet. I love what you did with the cigarette, but I'm from the East Coast.
I love Areyoukiddingme's comment -Hall Monitor of the World. hahah! Perfect.I don't recall the fingers thing at office buffet lunches as much as I remember that unless you are within 5 people of the front of the line half the food is already gone. People pile their plates like they're never going to see food again in their entire lives. It's usually the ones that, for their contibution, brought in a box of crackers or a bag of nuts from the vending machine.
I would totally have handed him the spoon- but I also have been known to give an attending the stink-eye and say, "You WILL wash your hands before touching my patient, correct?"
I've noticed that the older I get, the more likely I am to correct the manners of a random stranger...
Over from chicken nuggets...I SO agree with this...and ewe on the fish! Once I ordered bologna from the deli, and the lady...as she's putting it on the weigher...coughs...and wipes her nose on her GLOVVVVVVVVVVVE and then bags the stuff and hands it to me.
I took it to the manager and couldn't eat bologna for a long time. :)
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