After scouring the bathroom for eyeliner and mascara, rifling through my drawers for "hip" clothes (gray t-shirt and jeans...uh...) and trying to scrape the ketchup off the sleeves and shoulder of my beige jacket (that just screams Elena!), I was finally ready to get out.
I arrived at the Greene Turtle and grabbed a cocktail table. My waiter, who bore a strange resemblance to Napoleon Dynamite came up and said "Hi, my name is Jesse. Uh, can I get you something to drink?" I ordered the draft on special and then he did it....He said "Ma'am would you like a menu?"
Here's the thing. Although technically we live below the Mason Dixon line, this is NOT the south. None of my peers were ever taught to use the term "Ma'am" and when you hear it used, it is like nails down a chalkboard. But when it's used directly to you? Might as well give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it.
He returned to the table, placed my beverage down and said "There you go ma'am." Blech. I used to be a waitress. I worked in the service industry for many, many years and, when working for tips, it was in my best interest not to use the term ma'am or sir. It was common sense not to refer to someone as ma'am unless they had a heavy southern accent and wore large hats.
We stayed around the bar until 10:00. That's when the band started. At this point, we asked for the check so we could go sit in my car and actually hear each other talk. I know I know - that is a very "ma'am" thing to do. Anyway, he dropped the receipt on the table and that's when my girlfriend started laughing hysterically. When you work at a bar, you can have upwards of 30-40 open tabs at once and in order to keep them straight, you give each customer a name to remember them by.
I am Nice Lady. At least he didn't name my ticket "Ma'am"
LOL, what a compliment!! I'd love to be known as the nice lady :).
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely from the south, and take it as a very high compliment if I'm called "ma'am" (especially now that I live in the Pacific NW). It means, to me, that they take me seriously and show the due respect for a stranger that's lacking in our casual culture. Now "honey," "sweetie," "darlin'" and "sugar" are another story!