Recovery
The restaurant business, generally, has two big seasons: Summer and Christmas. Summer is a three to four month rush which pays many a University tuition, first cars and world adventures but for some of us it pays the mortgage, food, vacations and yes also school tuitions. Summer usually means late nights and tourists but it also means sleeping in, stolen hours with the kids at the beach before work and even the occasional late night swim peppered with a few rejuvinating camping trips.
The Christmas season, however, is a entirely different creature. It is a six week drunken party where every night is someone's special celebration worthy of that extra drink or five, worthy of staying out an hour or five later than usual. Most of the servers and chef's I know have families and this is their passion and livelyhood not just another story to add to a collection of short lived jobs. Christmas, like summer, means really late nights but also making lunches in the morning and driving kids to school and there is certainly no sun to provide that extra boost, at least not around here.
Four days ago, I was suffering from the bone deep exhaustion brought about by the last six weeks of all those late nights and beer for dinner with the occasional appetizer of bread and dessert of a handful of nuts here and there. The tiredness that comes from bringing your best forth every night to make someone's party special. But now, I have had four days of family, food, rest and relaxation and I feel good.
When I look around at all my friends in the industry, all of whom are feeling the same way, it amazes me. I don't know too many other jobs or people who can work 10-12 hours straight for days, sometimes even weeks, on end with no coffee breaks, no dinner breaks, Hell, going to the bathroom can be a challenge and still get up and do what needs to be done for their families the next morning.
So Cheers! to you all with the big finale coming up for the amazing stamina, compassion and professionalism and may we all breath a collective sigh of relief on January 1st, providing of course, you don't have to work brunch.
