Don’t Sneeze

Note to self. Don’t sneeze on the customers. Don’t sneeze on the customers. DO NOT sneeze on the customers.

I’m not gonna make it. I made it to my first break, but that’s only fifteen minutes long and I can only blow my nose so many times. I’m sitting here on a box of sweet potatoes out the back, willing all this hay fever to just disappear so I can serve out front without everything thinking the restaurant is diseased. The boss wasn’t happy about me being here, but she’s LESS happy about us being short-staffed on our busiest night and losing an extra person.

There’s no real role for a hay-fever expert in a restaurant, except if we have a delivery, and even then.

I’m considering the steamer. We have this big commercial steamer, super powerful, and on days when I’ve been a bit sniffly I’ve considered just sticking my head in for a spell. It’s just steam, right? But imagine how quickly that’d clear out the sinuses. Sometimes I get a bowl of hot water and put a towel over my head; that works pretty well, so a commercial steamer? That’s like the express version. Sinuses blasted clear with the force of a neutron star.

There is a slight chance I might get burnt if I’m not careful. Having a burnt red face in a restaurant kitchen is even worse than someone with the sniffles, by just a little bit. Might also void the warranty, because I’m pretty sure commercial steamers come with a warning not to be a big idiot and stick your head in there.

It’s tempting, though. Every time I walk past our deep fryer- it’s a commercial deep fryer, as well- I make sure to inhale as much as possible. It’s spicy and smells nice, and anything that can help clear my sniffles right now is a huge bonus. Maybe I’ll stick a sprig of coriander in my nose and pretend we’re having a theme night.

-Lou