I Am a Bartender
I was a bartender for the last five years, though despite leaving the industry, I still see myself as one. Funny that this should only dawn upon me now.
When I was in the industry, I couldn’t wait to get out. All the drunken idiots got frustrating and I figured that the grass may be greener on the other side. Now I realize that bar work is just so much better suited to my temperament. In all honesty – despite the long hours – I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the work, I enjoyed the environment and I enjoyed the people.
When you are behind the bar; there is really no telling what will happen next. You meet all kinds of crazy characters from all over, with one basic goal in mind – grabbing a drink. They all have their own preferences, stories and reasons for being there… but for the most part, they just want to drink… and I took great pride in supplying them with those.
But it ends up being so much more than just making people drunk… It is a service you are supplying. You supply them with a comfortable environment in which they can relax and temporarily escape whatever is chasing them. You supply them with the drinks they require to unwind. And sometimes, you supply them with a sympathetic ear… Whatever their needs might be – the bar can meet them in a judgment free zone.
Perhaps that is what I miss the most; the environment. None of this stuck up, corporate nonsense – just people being people – whatever the results of that might be. It just seemed so much more forward and honest than the suffocating environment one experiences in an office. I may be working in an office now, but I do not belong here, I think that I may just belong behind the bar - with others of my kind.
When I was in the industry, I couldn’t wait to get out. All the drunken idiots got frustrating and I figured that the grass may be greener on the other side. Now I realize that bar work is just so much better suited to my temperament. In all honesty – despite the long hours – I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the work, I enjoyed the environment and I enjoyed the people.
When you are behind the bar; there is really no telling what will happen next. You meet all kinds of crazy characters from all over, with one basic goal in mind – grabbing a drink. They all have their own preferences, stories and reasons for being there… but for the most part, they just want to drink… and I took great pride in supplying them with those.
But it ends up being so much more than just making people drunk… It is a service you are supplying. You supply them with a comfortable environment in which they can relax and temporarily escape whatever is chasing them. You supply them with the drinks they require to unwind. And sometimes, you supply them with a sympathetic ear… Whatever their needs might be – the bar can meet them in a judgment free zone.
Perhaps that is what I miss the most; the environment. None of this stuck up, corporate nonsense – just people being people – whatever the results of that might be. It just seemed so much more forward and honest than the suffocating environment one experiences in an office. I may be working in an office now, but I do not belong here, I think that I may just belong behind the bar - with others of my kind.
