I'm drunk & I need to vent

Hi guys -

As the subject line state,s I'm a little tipsy, but I'm f*ing pissed. I was just at a bar where I was seeing my buddy's band playing. I had been tipping the bartender quite nicely (I thought -- 35% tips on the drinks). I saw a friend and her husband, and she wanted to learn how to tie a cherry stem -- cheesy, I know, but hey, her husband was going to get a kick out if it. Anyway, I asked the bartender if he would mind pulling out the jar of cherries to find longer stems, and he said "no, but maybe the gay bartender would help me."

Okay 1.) I earnestly asked if he would mind getting the gay bartender, which I guess shows how totally clueless I am, and 2.) after realizing he meant it as a dig, I have become quite offended. So - first off and most importantlu, "gay bartender" as a dig == not cool; second off, he was nowhere near busy, and it seemed like a pretty innocent request (although perceivably pathetic, I admit -- but I stand my by assertion that it's really pretty innocent, and again -- what's wrong with giving your darling husband something to be proud of?).

Anyway. I'm pissed. Adn I'm drunk. So. Whatever. Blah. Ergh.

There's nothing pathetic about your request. And it says something complementary about you that you didn't even clue in immediately to what an a**hole the bartender was being. In other words, you were floating in the pleasant and mellow tiki zone, and he was...on another plane altogether.

I would've been sorely tempted to grab that jar of cherries and lob it at his head. Of course, that would've been a waste of nice cherries.

I am sorry you had a bad experience but... I have worked in the bar business for 10 years and cherries and those that tie them with their tongues are a pain in the ass. We just love it when people ask for a lot of cherries in their drink, only to come back to the table and find not eaten cherries on the table, floor and chairs and spit soaked, chewed up, stems littering the table. Then there's that GIANT cherry jar that gets everything within 5 feet sticky and red.

Instead you could have asked for a cherry garnish, not told him to fish around for long stems. What's the challenge in that anyway? See if she can tie any length of stem you get. It may not sound like a big deal but multiply a few by ALL those people who think they are so special and talented, and enough already. Then there's those who rip off their beer labels and stick them everywhere while ripping the napkins and coasters to bits, not to mention pukers, tobacco spiters, sleepers, fighters, and others who can't hold their liqueur. Enough of this can make you pretty salty.

Sorry, I too had to vent as I just got off work in a very crowded club. Ahhhhh

That giant jar of cherries still haunts me in my dreams. When I worked at the Limelight one of my jobs was to take that giant jar of cherries and put the cherries into smaller dishes for each bar. It was the job I dreaded most. I preferred picking gum out of ashtrays over the cherry gig! The jar was huge but the jar hole was small, so you had to stick your hand in and get your arm hairs all sticky to pull out the cherries. Cause some arsehole had usually swiped the tongs.

AHHH CHERRIES!!!!

hate em.

But Humuhumu, your bartender was still a jerk.

[ Edited by: tikifish on 2003-01-18 07:42 ]

tikifish wrote:
The jar was huge but the jar hole was small, so you had to stick your hand in and get your arm hairs all sticky to pull out the cherries.
I think I'll stay away from cherries....I'm just imagining someone who is a dripping-nose-wipe-across-the-forearm employee sticking his/her arm in a jar of cherries.......Yuck!

CherryfreeCaddyDaddy

P.S. You should have told him "..but I thought you were the gay bartender..."

This Daddy's Caddy & The Tiki Transporter

Hmmm...I should have been TraderFrank

[ Edited by: sugarcaddydaddy on 2003-01-18 08:50 ]

Yeah, I totally realize the request was pathetic, and I would have been cool if he'd just said "that's gross, no." I was much more upset that he was a total ass about it.

You all know those cherries are soaked in formaldehyde, don't you? I'll only eat the one that has been soaking in my Manhattan-burbon filled cherries are tasty! mmmmmm

Laney, I have heard that formaldehyde story before. Someone told me that when they do autopsies they find those cherry parts intact in your stomach..is this true? I am very gullible so I no longer eat them.

laney,
Right you are...the bourbon soaked Manhattan cherry is the only way to go. I'm not a big bourbon fan, but I do enjoy a good manhattan.
My only other good cherry experience was in San Francisco when I was 13 and I got to have Cherries Jubilee at the imortal Hungry Eye while on a family vacation. Hey, is that place still there, I'm ready to go back.

On 2003-01-18 12:36, laney wrote:
You all know those cherries are soaked in formaldehyde, don't you?

Ummm...not really. That's an old wives tale.

http://www.cherryman.com/gray/techfaq2.htm

Yeah, I remember that old wives tale way back in my old DJ'ing days (from 1982)...man, 20 years ago! UGGH!

OldCaddyDaddy

shipwreckjoey wrote:
"My only other good cherry experience was in San Francisco when I was 13 and I got to have Cherries Jubilee at the imortal Hungry Eye while on a family vacation. Hey, is that place still there, I'm ready to go back."

The historic Hungry i in North Beach closed years ago but its name lived on at a strip bar near the orginal location. Sadly, the club recently removed the old sign that said "hungry i" in lower case kooky typeface and replaced it with a boring generic backlit sign with an ugly typeface.

Story of the hungry i and pictures of old (first page) and new (click on "detail I") signs:

http://www.mistersf.com/farewell/fwhungryi.htm

If it's Cherries Jubilee you want you don't have to travel to San Francisco. Head over to the Imperial House by Balboa Park. It's the last bastion of 50s-era continental cuisine in San Diego (since Mister A's was "modernized"). They have plenty of flambe dishes on the menu including Steak Diane, Cherries Jubilee, and Bananas Foster!

http://www.imperialhouse.net/

Hey Jab,

Thanks for Hungry i info. I need to get back up there soon. The last time I was in the bay area was about 1994. Went for a ride on a Texaco tanker up to Martinez Tank Farm & took a cab to Oakland airport.

shipwreckjoey, why don't you come up for the crawl in March? It should be a blast.