red dragonfly

red dragonfly

In this very challenging line of work small periods of time are required where it all stops, where the natural environment brings you back to what is larger- back to that something - that contains the mysterious just beyond your grasp.

I have a partnership with a red dragonfly that resides on our covered patio on a rock and fern covered waterfall amongst lilies, horsetail ferns and assorted greenery. He, on more than one occasion has brought that realm back into focus for me – especially when I have been in need of it.

When, in the course of a mostly normal day in the culinary industry - many things happen the way they should -AND - some things happen unexpectedly and that don't end with the results that give way to feelings of accomplishment.

Working with wonderfully fresh yard eggs and madagascar bourbon soaked vanilla beans and turning out perfectly steaming, jiggly crème brulees brings a contented sigh, and a knowing that this evening's guests will be very happy with their dessert selection. Or having just visited the local farmer's market and getting very fresh tomatoes, peaches, squash,  goat cheese and other great produce brings that same feeling.

That can be punctuated by the discovery of a cooler that is either freezing what it shouldn't be or thawing something it shouldn't be. Or a 5:00 call from a critically needed employee, who goes from, “I'll be late” to “I'm gonna have to take a week off cause I jammed my thumb playing soccer” (on a Friday night).

It's those times that drive me to the patio to seek out the red dragonfly.

He attaches himself to a fern and gets some sun, occasionally rising up to get a drink out of the fountain and then settling again motionless. Watching him and listening to the waterfall and chimes on the patio brings me back to quiet. After 15 or 20 minutes I retrieve my apron and return to the kitchen feeling the zen of the whole thing.

I have an ongoing dialogue with him (always looking around to see if someone is watching me talk to an insect). I'll keep that to myself, and suffice to say, it gives me a great deal of peace. He lets me get quite close and I have photographed him a number of times. I keep a picture of him as a reminder when we aren't able to visit.

This pots and pans, skillets and ladles, grills and broilers, business needs a red dragonfly now and again.

The Message

Actually this little ditty has nothing to do with the restaurant business.  

The things i do just happen to happen inside a restaurant.

We have a message service. I record a new message every week indicating  the date with pertinent information regarding the getting of a reservation on any given night.

I do it every week. It goes something like this - -  as a matter of fact, it goes exactly like this; “You've reached the Navajo Grill. This is the week of (give the date).We're at the corner of Main & Olive streets. We serve dinner seven nights a week beginning at 5:30. If you'd like to make reservations, please leave your name – phone number – number of people in your party – and the date requested and we will return your call as soon as possible. Thanks for thinking of us & we hope to see you soon!”

It's a very simple message – the only thing that changes is “this is the week of -----”. How hard can it be?! I've done it  every single Monday morning for 13 years.

Well - - -

Some Monday mornings are different than others. The distractions presented to me prior to the making of the 'message' cause me, on occasion, to short circuit continuously while trying to repeat these simple words into a recording device until i turn into Mr. Hyde, complete  with being intensely foul mouthed, very short tempered, and using dark gnarly nearly incomprehensible verbiage. The message takes on a different meaning. I want to firebomb the restaurant, because I am sure I am being singled out by the restaurant demons to suffer the utter shame of not being able to speak three sentences in  a row into this device that asks me every time, “Would you like to save the changes you have made to your new message?”

I will attempt to explain the distraction as well as the consequences that followed recently, regarding the weekly greeting.

8:10 am – Monday – Walking into the kitchen I immediately encounter the friendly Ecolab (commercial dishwasher maintenance) guy. He is standing there beside the 'beast' (nickname) for our dishwasher with a test strip in his hand looking at it like a doctor looks at a thermometer and with his best bedside manner, sez to me, “Wow, your water is totally screwed man! It's as  hard as a frigging rock. You better check your water softener cause you gotta real prob here”.  I put down the apron I just picked up and head downstairs to check out the water softener. Culligan handles our water softening issues and lately we noticed a decrease in the quality of the water. Too much spotting of flatware. They said they would take care of it. What they didn't tell me was that they would take “the water softener unit” with them, leaving us with a gap with two pipes and air in the middle where a water softening unit should be busily softening water. Ecolab has followed me downstairs and is standing behind me, he sez “Well duh!!”. I thank him for his astute observation and suggest that he return to the beast.

Culligan is called – Ecolab guy leaves – I put on apron and head for the answering machine. On the way (it's only 20 ft.), my brother (fellow owner) sticks his head in the kitchen door to tell me the blender jar replacement we have been waiting for, for seven weeks (should have received it in seven days), has arrived. To explain the pained look he has on his face, he holds up the box and shakes it – I hear the sound of a Sunbeam blender jar in 100 pieces instead of the one piece it was in, when it began the trip here seven weeks ago.

I keep walking and am pretty intent on reaching the answering device.

With thoughts of Culligan, Ecolab and Sunbeam whirling through my head, I pick up the phone and take a deep breath -

I dial the number -

The mechanical girl sez - “Please enter your passcode and press pound now”

I do it -

She sez - “For your personal profile press 2 now”

I do it -

She sez - “For your personal message press 3 now”

I do it -

She sez - “To listen to your greeting press 4 now”

I do it -

She sez - “If you are happy with your greeting press 5 now – or to record a new greeting press 1 now” (how does it get back to 1?)

I press 1 and am trembling with anticipation-

She sez - “Record your new greeting after the tone and press pound when completed”

I hear the tone and then silence – I'm waiting for my voice to start but nothing happens. With Ecolab and Culligan demons chasing each other through my addled brain I am wordless. I can hear the message in my head but my lips belong to someone else!

I press the pound key, frustrated already at my inability to begin the three sentences.

She sez - “Record your new greeting after the tone and press pound when completed”.

I hear the tone -

I'm off and running - “You've reached the Navajo Grill. This is the week of June 15^th (Oh Crap! - my mind sez) – cause it's actually the week of June 21^st – I'm looking at a calender but it's the wrong month. I hit the pound key.

She sez - “If your satisfied with your new greeting press 1 now, if you'd like to record again, press 2 now”

I press 2 -

 I hear the tone-

I start, “You've reached the Navajo Grill, this is the week of June the 21^st. We're at the corner of Main and Olive. (all of a sudden the other part of my mind is thinking about why we don't do brunch anymore – lotsa' reasons and a bad time to reminisce about them) We serve dinner (I pause) seven nights a week (of course you serve dinner seven nights  a week dumb ass) beginning at (I pause again) fi- five thirty.”

I jam my thumb into the 2 key before she can ask me any questions about how satisfied I am with my last attempt -

I hear the tone -

I'm holding my breath – I exhale and start talking at the same time (whoosh!) “You've reached the Navajo Grill. This is the week of June the 21^st. We're located (did I say 'located' last time, or, we're at the corner of?) at the corner of Main and Olive. We serve dinner seven (I guess it doesn't matter what I said) nights a week beginning at – at “, I close my eyes and hammer away at the 2 button.

I hear the tone -

It stops – I'm desperate now – please – please just let me record the f#@*+*g message – I can feel the heat in my face and my mind is racing -

“You've reached the Navajo Grill. This is the week of June the - - - “I hear the door opening behind me – It's the meat guy -

He sez cheerily, “Hey Bro, I got product for you!” He sees I'm on the phone and does an 'ooops!' and lets the door shut.

I shakily press the 2 button -

I hear the tone -

“You've reached the Navajo Grill. This is the week of June the 21^st. We're located at the corner of Main and Olive. We serve dinner seven nights a week beginning at 5:30. If you'd like to make reservations please leave your (omygod – I'm gonna make it! - shut up! You'll just screw it all up!) name, phone number, (both of you knock it off!!) and the number of people in your party and we will (who will, buster, who's gonna make the call back?) call you back as soon as possible. Thanks for thinking (God almost – my throat is so dry) us and thanks for thinking of us (Hah! see you can't do it!!!)”.

I realize I have just thanked the caller for thinking of us twice.

I touch the 2 key, my back hurts, my lips are cracked, I'm breathing so hard little blue planets are showing up about eye level and the room in going in and out of focus!

I press 2 -

I hear the tone -

It stops again -

I feel like throwing myself under a train!

“You'vereachedtheNavajoGrill.ThisistheweekofJunethe21st.We'relocatedatthecornerofMain&Olive.Weservedinnersevennightsaweekbeginningat5:30.Ifyou'dliketomakereservationspleaseleaveyournumber,numberofpeopleinyourparty,daterequestedandwe'llreturnyourcallassoonaspossible.Thanksforthinkingofusandwehopetoseeyousoon!!”

I realize immediately that all the words have run together and I'm screaming at the end– but that fricking voice in my head left me alone this time!

I press 2-

I hear the tone-

“You've reached the Navajo Grill. Leave your number. I'll call back.”

I press the pound key.

She sez -

If your satisfied with your new greeting press 1 now.

Completely defeated, I press 1.

I walk away from the phone and hope I do better in the kitchen.