Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The narrator's background with the Church and Psychology really gives him an edge working in such a hostile environment, doesn't it? He is not only able to analyze the people that he has to deal with as customers, he is able to see problems and deal with them as manager. For example, when Fluvio keeps getting furious about nonsense, his ability to empathize and psychoanalyze enables him to calm him down and find a practical solution to the problem.
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While he does have a unique background compared to other waiters, I find that the reason he is able to control and "steer" the customers and Fluvio is because of his ability to manipulate. Manipulation is a skill, as he points out, that is prevalent and a necessity in the catering world. Without it, not much would get done and a buisness could be run down in weeks. I find it extremely amusing how there is an undercurrent of resentment from the waiter about how dealing with customers is a more practical use of his psycology degree than working as a consultant at a pharmaceutical company.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but the other waiters are not able to easily steer the customers or fluvio. It is easy to see how he is able to read people and assess the principals and motives of the customers. On page 115, he accurately categorizes different customers into categories. Someone who had not had training in psychology would not be able to do these things.
ReplyDeleteI think you're wrong, it's not that other waiters aren't able to steer them, of course they are, that's why Beth got a huge tip because she got a huge bill. And as to the catergorizations, those had very little to nothing to do with psycology. Those were all just a compilation of observations. Observations that all of the waiters saw.
ReplyDeleteI thin Baird is in the right here. The Waiter really put to use his "useless degree" as he manipulates people. The instance that I'm reminded of is on New Year's eve: The menu is shortened because the cook does not want to create a wider variety of entres, and a regular customer complains. So The Waiter tells him that the chef is only cooking "meals from his childhood as a special occasion" which fully satisfies the customer. Pure manipulation.
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