hands still smellin like food. toes swollen. arms sore. back achin'. tonight i began my new temp job as a banquet server. we had round 1000 guests, twas crazy! good thing i didn't have to personally serve all of em, but twas still a challenge to have 5 tables that were all the way on the other side of the room from the kitchen. i was paired up with another new girl- which was random and prob not the best of combinations. it was fun to work together, but the two of us got owned  what amazed to me tho was how other people stepped in to help us. one of the captains came by to help carry two tables worth of entrees cos he knew we were behind. by the time desserts came, the server in the section next to us carried two trays each time so he could give us one of them. how he even carried two trays was amazing enough, but his thoughfulness put it over the top =) some of the servers finished early and came to help us clean up. people knew we needed to get the job done and did what they had to. i was thankful and surprised by how nice people were. even when the captain came to have a talk with us and told us we were behind...he was not at all condescending or annoyed. it helped take away the guilt and encouraged me to work harder.  my biggest fears going into the night were of dropping a tray of food/drinks or spilling something on a guest. even tho i had a few close calls, thank God that neither of those things happened. there was one tray run when i carried the entrees and my wrist literally froze and i thought for sure i was goin to be cleaning steaks and fish off of the floor...haha. one guy did end up dropping a tray full of glasses tho!  thankfully he caught himself on a nearby table after the guests got up, so damage and commotions were kept to a minimal. overall i gained a new appreciation for banquet servers. their strength, speed, control, coordination, attitude...wow. i see peoples carrying 10 entrees on a tray and i am just awestruck. and they make it look so easy!! i carried 6 one time and almost gave out, my max comfort zone is at 5 right now. i need to workout more, pronto!  the thing is that they're carrying weight like that all night! you not only carry food to the tables, but you also carry the dirties back (which is all the stuff you served AND everything that was preset on the tables)! taking things back is also a balancing act cos you got food mixed with drinks. and every time you have a tray on you is a potential accident in the making. i also gained another new appreciation, and that is for the kitchen/clean up crew! man it is pure chaos back there when we're bussing those trays of dirties from 1300 place settings. i don't know how they manage it...the uneaten foods and leftover sauces/butter/drinks also create absolute nastiness. they literally do all the dirty work and get the least appreciation and pay. oy. i like getting to see things from this perspective. | 
