Day 16

As a waiter I have found myself in some interesting venues and contributing to some intriguing functions over the years. I have provided afternoon tea at various soil turning ceremonies, watched numerous toasts to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, listened to more best man’s speech then I care to count, served royalty, seen some amazing cake designs, poured beverages on boats and even a steam train, attended to birthday celebrations for various prominent people, tasted delicacies and vintages from all over the world, and was even present in Parliament House the night Julia Guillard was ousted by Kevin Rudd. Though after a while each job merges into one, with only a handful taking centre stage in one’s memory. One of those (and thanks to this image) was a simple three course luncheon for six, at the residence of the Deputy Ambassador of Japan. It started out like an usual shift: I arrived at my set time and met with the chef at the front of the residence prior to making our way inside. Dressed in my usual uniform: white ironed shirt, black pants, black polished shoes, a tie, and black tailored vest, most likely pinned with a Japanese and Australian friendship flag lapel. And once inside we were handed a pair of black slippers: a custom I may have forgotten about. For my socks - having purchased them as a way to add a bit of personality and flair to an otherwise boring uniform, which they certainly succeeded at in this scenario - were maybe a touch conspicuous: canary yellow. They were the brightest thing in the dining room, framed by my pants and the arch of the slippers. Chef found it highly amusing and the housemaid seemed rather displeased. I spent the whole shift feeling quite self conscious, though comforted by the fact that the guests were certainly too well mannered to make a comment or pass judgement towards their host. These days I tend to purchase only black socks.