Monday, September 25, 2006
Frustration in Manhattan
This is going to have some people thinking I’m a bigot, which I’m not. What I am, is someone who feels that being quiet when things obviously aren’t right, does nobody any good. I think that those who presume that just because I speak out, I am bigoted, are a cause of much unhappiness both among those they seek to quiet and those they wish to protect and that condescension and coddling are their own form of bigotry.
It pisses me off that so many food places in Manhattan ‘save money’ by hiring people who can’t speak English. One morning last week, I went to a place by Rector Street subway station to try their coffee. I don’t like regular light roast coffee. The choices were regular, flavoured and espresso. I asked if they could do an Americano. The young lady thought I was asking her if she was American. I tried to explain what I wanted, but her expression was blank. I gave up and went to a salad/soup/breakfast joint on Exchange Place: “Can I have a Large French Roast, black please?” “What size would you like?” Wow! They have different sizes of large? I repeated my order and received a large French Vanilla with milk. On the second attempt, I received a large black coffee, but if that was French Roast, they need to change their supplier!
I went to a sandwich place for lunch. The guy adding in the ‘fixings’, didn’t understand anything. I asked for “everything in this row”, pointing at the onions and sweet and hot peppers. He gave me the onions. “Both types of peppers also please.” He gives me the hot ones, but all in one place. “The other type also.” He starts removing the first type. With everything I said, he tried something while looking at me to see if that was right. After a while, I gave up.
I love the diversity to be found here. America is what it is because of the immigrants who have come here throughout its history. But for fucks sake! Some jobs need at least a minimal command of the language! These business owners save money and lose customers
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It pisses me off that so many food places in Manhattan ‘save money’ by hiring people who can’t speak English. One morning last week, I went to a place by Rector Street subway station to try their coffee. I don’t like regular light roast coffee. The choices were regular, flavoured and espresso. I asked if they could do an Americano. The young lady thought I was asking her if she was American. I tried to explain what I wanted, but her expression was blank. I gave up and went to a salad/soup/breakfast joint on Exchange Place: “Can I have a Large French Roast, black please?” “What size would you like?” Wow! They have different sizes of large? I repeated my order and received a large French Vanilla with milk. On the second attempt, I received a large black coffee, but if that was French Roast, they need to change their supplier!
I went to a sandwich place for lunch. The guy adding in the ‘fixings’, didn’t understand anything. I asked for “everything in this row”, pointing at the onions and sweet and hot peppers. He gave me the onions. “Both types of peppers also please.” He gives me the hot ones, but all in one place. “The other type also.” He starts removing the first type. With everything I said, he tried something while looking at me to see if that was right. After a while, I gave up.
I love the diversity to be found here. America is what it is because of the immigrants who have come here throughout its history. But for fucks sake! Some jobs need at least a minimal command of the language! These business owners save money and lose customers
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You really are too kind. At least these folks are trying to make a living and trying to make their customers happy. Stop and think about what their lives are like and how much or how little getting your sandwich right means to whether or not they have a job tomorrow.
# posted by 
: 12:21 AM
: 12:21 AM
Not sure that you get my point. I am happy for people to come here and work. I have done so myself, as has at least one person in each of the previous 3 generations of my family. And I also do not blame a person with little to no English for taking a job dealing with the public. Indeed, I congratulate them for their work ethic. But jobs requiring direct contact with the 'general public' require a certain minimum command of the language of a country in order for the customer service to be able to meet certain minimum standards. It is for the employers to regulate this. They are going for cheap labour and are incidentally providing inadequate service to their customers. This may be one of the reasons for the large closure rate of food establishments in Manhattan. With huge numbers of people looking to buy breakfast and lunch, and so little time to do it in, not everyone can be bothered to waste their precious time and still be given the wrong thing.
For further illustration: Five years ago, I couldn't get my son into a school where I had moved to in North London, as there were no school places. The reason for this dearth was a Government policy guaranteeing school places to children of asylum seekers, with no similar law equally favouring children of citizens and residents. I had no gripe with the asylum seeking families. Rather, I was mightily upset with the British Government for implementing such a stupid and ill-thought out law. There were those who blamed the beneficiaries of this Government stupidity.
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For further illustration: Five years ago, I couldn't get my son into a school where I had moved to in North London, as there were no school places. The reason for this dearth was a Government policy guaranteeing school places to children of asylum seekers, with no similar law equally favouring children of citizens and residents. I had no gripe with the asylum seeking families. Rather, I was mightily upset with the British Government for implementing such a stupid and ill-thought out law. There were those who blamed the beneficiaries of this Government stupidity.
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