Years ago, I used to work at a small boutique cheese shop in Los Angeles, and we'd get a fair number of customers who would try to order custom platters from us while having a completely separate conversation on their cell phone. As we were trying to give them information, it would always be interrupted with several awkward stammers of "oh, hold on" or a "no, sorry, I was talking to the cheese guy."
One of the people I was lucky enough to work with—Gregory Bonsignore—drew up a sign one day to express his frustrations with this lack of awareness and basic humanity that some people were failing to grasp. Years later, I still laugh thinking about his sign, and I created a digitized version of it for your enjoyment:
Besides making it difficult to actually engage in a meaningful conversation to learn how we can best serve what those customers were looking for, other customers waiting in line behind them would rightfully get frustrated having to wait even longer while the customer at the counter takes extra time fumbling around with their phone and wallet and two different trains of thought crashing into each other.
This is NOT an anti-cell phone post... and I know I could pop my head up from my screen a little more often or just put my phone in another room when I'm talking with my friends in the flesh... but even with servers at restaurants, clerks at convenience stores, or strangers on a walk... every day, we have an opportunity to interact with those around us. To play. To tell a joke. To ask a question and maybe learn something new.
I know a helluva lot about cheese... I invested a LOT of time and energy into learning everything I could about it because I loved it so much and wanted to share that love with others. Those folks on their phones missed out on some cool knowledge :)
That's me in the "Cheese Ballers!" episode of Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory :)
About Me!
My name is Randy Clemens and I am the author of The Sriracha Cookbook, The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook, and co-author of The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. I am a graduate of the California School of Culinary Arts and am featured in the award-winning Sriracha—a documentary film by Griffin Hammond.
In early 2015, I moved from Los Angeles to participate in the Free State Project, a geopolitical movement getting 20,000+ libertarians / voluntaryists to relocate to New Hampshire to decrease the size and draconian reach of the government while protecting individual liberties.
You can read more about me on my Steemit introduction post! And if one (or more) of the things I've written about here tickles your fancy, you can follow my musings on Twitter via @SrirachaBook and @RandyClemensEsq.
I always put my phone down if I go to pay for something. It is SO rude. Great sign :)
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Never understand people who do this, unless it's the president of whatever country you are in HANG UP the damn phone! (Even if it was the president I still don't think it is acceptable)
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