There are more similarities to food and newspaters than fish and chips
wrapped in yesterday's news, or family members buried behind current events
around the breadfast table.
Although I have no scientific back-up on which to base these observations
- only experience- I believe there's a likeness amongst people drawn to work in
restaurants and newsrooms.
I signed up for my first apron at the age of 16. Since that first shift,
I've run many a marathon carrying plates and dishes , drinks and bills between
customers, kitchen and cashier. About six years later, including a few well-deserved
breads, Icelebrated my last stint in the food service industry. Sitting in a booth
at Dulce's in East London, our small family of waitresses, cashier, manager and
the lady boss lifted our champagne glasses to toast my entry into the world of
so-called real work.
My ascent from the dining room into the newsroom turned out to be not all that
big a change, however. Years of running around meeting customer needs and their
personal deadlines of how long a lasagne, burger or sandwich should take before
it appears on a plate in front of them, sharpened me for a life of chasing stories
and writing under pressure. It also prepared me for the upside down world of going
to the office when most other people get ready to go home.
I learned early on that restaurant are busiest when most other people are free.
Eating establishments buzz over lunch, during dinner and on weekends.
When most others slow down after a day's work, the newsroom gradually shifts
into gear.
Walk into any newspaper office at 10 am in the morning and it's like a
graveyard, with maybe a few newspapers floating about and perhaps
a distribution manager or two pondering the early morning deliveries.(If a
regular office is not buzzing by that time, however, it probably won't be
too much of a business for much longer.)
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