4. service is the highest call

It's been a few months since I'd started working in an F&B joint and I have loved it since the start. Sometimes unexpectedly, and sometimes by natural inclination, because of how people-centric the business is. Actually I'd always believed that any kind of work exists solely because of people. The people it serves, the people it provides jobs to, etc.

Of all the F&B jobs I'd worked in and out of school, this one is so different because I'm "back" dealing with food after four years in publishing and communications. It is a strange thing - because I feel like I have had a lot of options but deep down this is where I should be. At least for now.

The practicality, long hours and hands-on-ness of live production all through last year taught me a great deal. It taught me to delegate and leave tasks to people who were good at them. It taught me to watch the time and constantly keep everyone in the loop no matter how many ongoing parts were in motion.

But I've always been so intrigued by people's work and how they get good at it. I don't think any job would exist if it were not crucial and worth someone's whole livelihood. And I respect any fellow person's dedication to their craft, even if they may not admit it is a craft.

Anyway, I digress.

I had meant to say that while I was moving and wiping tables some days ago, it dawned upon me that service is the highest call.

I truly believe the way to anywhere novel and exciting is to choose the simplest, most unassuming task and put your hands to the plough. Might sound very counterintuitive and honestly silly considering all the "better", "more dignifying" work one could be doing, especially after some years of experience.

But growing an appreciation for the meagre affairs that usually escape one's notice will help you to never take things for granted. It will help you to never take people for granted, for the way they build a strong society and keep a home together.

And yes, I am still talking cafés, bars and restaurants here. Stay with me.

When you serve someone, you give them something more than taste, smell and sight to remember of a place. Being kind when there's no incentive, let alone when the customer is being rude or even abusive, can truly challenge your perspective (and theirs, if they let up). Ultimately, there is something to learn from every interaction we make.

For example, lots of travelers come through our doors. Hungry, jet-lagged sojourners who just want to have a good time in Singapore. Sometimes they happen to be the most open to conversation despite language barriers, and it's fun to remind them that I for one kinda take my food as seriously as they do. No matter how landmark or casual this meal is on their itinerary, I'd like to think it's one of those they want to remember from this country, forever.

Other times, I see these meal-long encounters as the only way someone might find comfort in obvious distress, even if it is extended by a stranger.

Such is the joy of growing with an establishment. Come what may, these lessons will follow me in the most humble and most grand contexts.