Over on True/Slant, I wrote about when I used to be a waitress.
"I was a waitress for two years. I’ve worked a variety of jobs over the years, from pasta-maker to college teacher, but waitressing was far and away the hardest job I ever had. The hours are grueling, the physical labor is brutal, and suffice to say you learn something of human nature when required to wait on people: People will treat you like crap because they can."["Don't Go in the Kitchen and Other Tips from a Former Waitress"]