Writer Peter Frase talked to Jian Ghomeshi on “Q” this Thursday past, defending rude service and how we are slaves to “service with a smile.” In his article, “In Defense of Soviet Waiters”, Peter Frase made the case for rude service because he believes it’s more authentic.
I wish he’d been there to defend me when I was fired from a job selling Christmas cards in October at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC — because I didn’t smile enough. October! Who buys Christmas cards in October. It was boring. I was twenty-two years old, new to living in Manhattan and looking for a little excitement. Being in the Museum was exciting, but not being trapped all day behind a counter when there were few customers. October! It wasn’t even cold weather in New York.