|
From: | Freddie Rouse |
Subject: | [Gnue-sb-commits] Polaroid caliber |
Date: | Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:34:06 +0200 |
This, with softsoap and the hard Paris water, meant
scraping the grease off with bits ofnewspaper. In this way ourincompetence piled one
job on another throughout the day, everything inarrears. Even Boris and I werebarely
on speaking terms. Working in the sewersis unpleasant, but somebody must work in the
sewers. The PATRON,bland as ever, would stop me as I went down the alley-way past
the bar. He borrowed three francs a day from Jules, thesecond waiter, and spent it
on bread. You are carving a chicken and it falls on the floor.
XIXOne day, when we had been at the Hotel X five or
six weeks, Borisdisappeared without notice.
The mass of the rich and the poor aredifferentiated
by their incomes and nothing else, and the.
At half past twelve I would put on my coat and
hurry out.
PARDON, MONSIEUR, Isaid, I shall leave this
morning.
The nurse had recognizedYvonne, and she came
straight up to us, smiling. But dont expect us to do anything about it. Then about
midnight therewas a piercing shout of CITOYENS!
Below that no one could have cutit, short of
modernizing the kitchen.
Well, the next day the PATRON caught me stealing
milk.
I tell you, to becheated like this is torture to
me.
ThePATRON was at his wits end to know where the
milk was going.
Proud and lazy men do not make good
waiters.
People have a way oftaking it for granted that all
work is done for a sound purpose. I shall go on drinkingthat milk, even if I do
burst.
I am trying toconsider the social significance of a
PLONGEURS life. Everyonewho has mixed on equal terms with the poor knows this quite
well. For amoment our quarrels were forgotten and we all united in the effort to
servea good dinner.
Sharp knives, ofcourse, are THE secret of a
successful restaurant.
Charlie, grown soberagain, captured the
conversation and talked about his soul for fiveminutes.
People have a way oftaking it for granted that all
work is done for a sound purpose. The workmen were brought in and the alterations
made, hastily and withincredible shoddiness. By half past one the last drop of
pleasure had evaporated, leavingnothing but headaches.
I believe that this instinct to perpetuate useless
work is, at bottom,simply fear of the mob.
Now get to work and scale these herrings. Now, at
the Auberge, I learned howthings are done in a thoroughly bad
restaurant.
Very well, MON PATRON, I thought to myself,well see
who gets tired of it first. Proud and lazy men do not make good
waiters.
Nevertheless, the conditions behind the kitchen
door were suitable fora pigsty.
See that he gets a double portion of
allvegetables.
But they do not think, because they have no leisure
forit; their life has made slaves of them.
Everyone in the BISTRO began shouting together,VIVE
LALLEMAGNE!
But they do not think, because they have no leisure
forit; their life has made slaves of them.
|
[Prev in Thread] | Current Thread | [Next in Thread] |