Etiquette dinner

Last week Mrs. Herod asked me via e-mail if I would consider being a server for the Meet the Firms class etiquette dinner, which took place tonight. I responded that I wouldn't mind helping out as long as it was OK for me to come a bit late, after orchestra got out. She asked whoever was in charge and they said it was all right. So that's how I found myself dressed in black pants and a white shirt in orchestra this evening. I dashed (in my car) over to Wright Hall as soon as orchestra was over, clocked in (yay for getting paid), and helped the rest of the servers set up the tables for the meal. The other servers (including Robby), who had got to the Presidential Banquet room at 5 p.m., had been served a meal while they were given instructions on the proper way to serve. Since I came late I missed both the server-meal and the instructions, so Mrs. Thompson (the secretary for the English department), gave me a brief five-minute version. I remembered most of the serving protocol from last year when I'd sat through the Meet the Firms etiquette dinner, so it wasn't too hard to get myself up to speed.

There was also a hand-out with a schedule of when to serve the different foods and diagrams of how to set the tables. I made sure to look over which side to serve/take away dishes. (Serve from the left, remove dishes from the right [because those both start with R], and pour the drinks from the right.) I have some trouble with differentiating left and right (yeah, I know it's weird, but hey, I'm only human), so I wanted to make sure I got that down pat. Then we finished getting the tables ready by putting the juice and water at each place setting. The cafe manager lady had forgotten to take the drinks out of the freezer when she was supposed to, so both the juice and the water (which had been already poured in glasses before being put in the freezer) were quite frozen. Mrs. Thompson assured us they would be melted and back to their normal state by the time the students showed up. After giving us a few last minute instructions and assembling all of us servers together for a picture and then another one with all the secretaries of the various departments that take part in the Meet the Firms class, we were shooed off into the side room where we waited while the students arrived and chose seats.

As the etiquette lecture began all the servers filed out and stood at the back of the room. We diligently watched our tables to watch for glasses that needed filling, empty plates that needing to be taken away, or other server-type activities. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my table was filled with students I knew. I was most amused that my brother just happened to sit at my table. His roommate and a couple other people I knew also had sat at that table, so it was fun to serve them. I saw many other people I know, as well, including Christen, who I hope will blog about her experiences at the meal. I wonder what her thoughts were on the whole meal. I think for the most part I remembered my lefts and rights just fine and I didn't have trouble knowing which side I was supposed to serve or remove dishes from. The whole meal flowed pretty smoothly, at least in my opinion. The students had started arriving for the meal at 7 p.m. and we were done cleaning up all the tables after dessert and signing out by 8:05 p.m. All in all, it was an interesting experience, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to be a waitress for the rest of my life.