Choose another map, showing:

• North America
• Transatlantic
• The World

Other entries in Brooklyn

And the job hunt continues.....

Please don't take this too seriously...lol

So as many of you know I live in what many consider the ghetto. A few blocks away there are a couple of establishments which would be considered at the forefront of gentrification in the area, meaning they are quite out-of-place in terms of other surrounding businesses. One such business, Breadstuy, is one such establishment. I have been in there a few times but the music and clientel don't match my tastes or what I look for in a coffee shop.

Needless to say there was an ad posted on Craigslist which said they were looking for someone to work just weekends. I thought I would give it a go. Many years ago when I was teaching in South Florida I used to work at a coffee shop on the beach on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It was one of the best jobs a person can ask for if earning money isn't a factor. I would go in, turn the machines on, open the newspaper and drink my coffee as I watched the sun rise over Fort Lauderdale beach. Being a party town during that time, there were few people up and going prior to lunch which is when my shift ended.

Back to reality. So I sent my resume and I got a call yesterday by someone who could hardly speak English which is quite the norm in the area. When I say speak English I mean proper English which is what I tend to understand rather than pidgeon or "text-talk", that codified language that has gone from the mobile phones to the mouths of its users. She asked if I could come in for an interview and I was told 12:30 was the earliest today as there were two other interviews before me.

With the appointment/interview at 12:30pm I head over about 12:20pm seeing as the coffee shop is two blocks away. I assumed the lady at the register was whom I was meeting with. She said to have a seat and about 10 minutes later walked over and asked if I had my resume with me. Yes, this is for someone to make coffee. I said that no I did not but that it was sent to her. She said that she did not have a printer and proceeded to get up grab some paper and instruct me to write down my background.

So laughing to myself I summarize my background. At this point all I could do was laugh so I put down that I have over 8 years of Food and Beverage experience from casual to fine dining, have 8 years of teaching at the university level, have a bachelors and masters and currently attempting to finish my phd, have traveled to over 60 countries and have lived overseas, and then at the end I put that I worked in a coffee shop on the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

She came over and took everything very seriously. After asking me my strengths and weaknesses and a plethora of other questions that have nothing to do with the position, she proceeds to ask me to make her a dry cappuccino. What the hell? I told her I haven't worked a coffee machine in eight years. She said to try my best. She then pointed out the machine was automatic that I need to press a button. She said the tricky part would be the foam which I needed to create from milk.....wow, she got me. Although I was good at it while in Fort Lauderdale I could give a rats ass now and while I tried I couldn't help but laugh, giver her the coffee and say that it will take a day or two to get back into it.

She proceeded to say that she has interviewed people who profess to be the best latte creationists in all of Manhattan. I wanted to ask her what the f%^& were they interviewing at this coffee shop over 30 minutes out of Manhattan and the middle of the ghetto for....but I bit my tongue and just quietly stated that I would not profess to be the best latte creationist in Manhattan nor the best cappuccino maker either. With that she asked if there were any questions. I said no and she said she has many more interviews and will be in touch if I make the cut. I then grabbed a coffee and sat outside and read a book I brought.

My days are surreal at best and it's experiences like this that makes me questions a lot.....including myself.  

Add to del.icio.us Add to reddit