Joe and I went to Kitty Hoynes last Friday night. Typical for us, though it was close to midnight when we got there (he had rehearsal 'til late then we had a drink at his place before we left). Instantly I noticed something "off" about the place - it was a bit raucous, not the typical "I love beer and Irish music" crowd of normalcy. I attributed it to being a late Friday and didn't let it bug me.
And then I looked around. The place was full of college students.
And I mourned for my dear KH.
A few minutes after I realized this, I caught the eye of someone I went to college with (yup, went - because I'm not going to SU anymore, for those of you unaware! GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE). For decency's sake, I'll call her Joanne (but don't search my Facebook friends because that's not her real name). She and I were friendly in freshman and sophomore years - more than aquaintences, less than friends - but I didn't see much of her in my junior year, which I attribute to not being in clique-y Newhouse at that point.
But as soon as she ran over and gave me a giant hug I could tell that that whole aquainta-friendship was, like, totally dunzo, duh. She acted just every other college kid at the bar - holier-than-thou, like her shit don't stink and like, totally paying for this outing with her daddy's credit card. And her friends? Shoot me in the face and I'd be having a better time laying on the floor in pain than speaking with them.
She remarked that this was her first time at KH (not at all surprising - she ordered a Blackberry Russian, one of the "featured drinks of summer" and who SERIOUSLY pays attention to those at bars they're familiar with?) and I raved about Luke's bartending, but I could tell it all fell upon deaf ears. No sooner had she sarcastically said "Sure he is" (complete with eyeroll!) did he set down a drink so weak that you probably couldn't taste a bit of vodka in it; meanwhile, my Drunken Shirley Temple is clear as water and you can smell Joe's Jim Beam from across the bar.
(Luke is so wonderfully spiteful!)
In retaliation of this weak drink, her friend - who was so drunk he couldn't keep his head off the bar - grabs the drink mat and turns it over on the bunch of glasses Luke had just washed. Clearly pissed off but not wanting to cause a scene, Luke politely "thanks" that friend for mussing up his dishes and said kid spews off on a tangent of "THE CONSUMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT THEY'D NEVER GIVE ME THIS SHIT IN NEW JERSEY BLAH BLAH BLAH I AM A TOOL AND I HAVE BIG BUCKS BECAUSE MY PARENTS SEND ME TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL SO BOW DOWN TO ME YOU LOWLY BARTEND."
That was pretty much the end for me. As Luke started walking away, I grabbed him and said "Bet you LOVE this time of year, don't you?" and he goes "Oh, these nights are just LOVELY..."
It's absolutely ludicrous that people can treat other humans in this way. I can't speak as a bartender because I'm not one (no matter how excellent my 7&7s turn out when I make them!) but it's asinine to treat one in that way just because they made your drink weak. You know how you end up with stronger drinks? You make peace with the bartenders. You leave them weighty tips. You shoot the shit and talk about Beerfest 'til they call you "Great Gam Gam" and serve you your favorite drink without you even asking. Acting like an ass and shaking out drink mats on clean dishes wins you just about nothing - let alone a good sarcastic reaming out and uncomfortable silence from the barflies that agree with the bartender...
These people are the main reason I'm not returning to Syracuse. I love the city - never thought I'd say that, but I honest-to-goodness do. I live on an excellent hippie street in a nice apartment with two cool girls, the driving isn't always a gridlock, there are decent places to shop and enough to do to get by, etc. But GOD DAMN do I hate Syracuse University. I never really realized how much until a high school grad asked me about the college and I couldn't say one good thing about it (other than take a poli-sci class with Lawrence Thomas because you will NOT regret it).
I don't know why the students act the way they do. Forgive me for making blatent generalizations about the student body as a whole, but I really feel that 95% of campus dwellers are raging assholes who've never worked a day in their life. It's fine if your parents can pay your way through college - hey, guess what, mine do too - but to get a WEEKLY ALLOWANCE for personal use is just plain ridiculous. Hey, guess what parents? Your kids are spending your hard-earned dollars on booze and designer clothes.
Maybe they were brought up differently than I was. I grew up in a family that had a decent amount of money - decent enough to send us on yearly vacations and build a new home and, most recently, allow my parents to buy their dream car. I never had to go without something I needed but when I wanted something, I had to "pay" for it myself, typically by working with my dad for a week. My first car is still the car I have now and my bonds, not my parents, paid for it. I paid for half of my trumpet, half of my computer and all of my rent. I HAD JOBS. I've had a job since I was 16 and could get one. I haven't willingly asked my parents for money since then unless I seriously had a problem and couldn't get out of it.
I guess I was raised knowing the true value of money. It's hard work - something I don't think that the student body of SU knows much about. They're jaded on the fact that they can go to a store any given day and blow $250 on a pair of Seven7 jeans or that their parents give them a $300 weekly allowance (not even a joke - I had a roommate with that nice deal). Just get a job, live like the rest of us for a bit.
What kills me is that they can spend all this money and not give the bartender $2 extra when that's going to be the difference between their weak rum and coke and a cherry vodka sprite that's mostly cherry vodka...
(PS: Huge Everclear update once I'm finished gloating about meeting Art!)
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2 comments:
Oh I feel you on that! Not that New Paltz is even comparable with SU, but the douchers from Long Island... just kill me now. Driving around in their BMW's and spending what I make in a week in one night at the bars and think they are hot shit. It's fucking New Paltz, most of us are there on loans and grants and have to work our asses off just to make it by. Then these douchers come around. geerrrr
I've only been out at SU once, and I don't really remember much of it, hahaha, but the 'frat' house I went to was about 200 times nicer than any house I have ever seen and they have maids and professional chefs. That's a far cry from the frats in good ol' New Paltz.
Totally true having been a bartender for a summer. Making friends with the person serving your drink is better than being a douche to them... drunken stupors possibly the only exception, but by that time you're the bartender and know how much they've drank... By the way... little known fact... just because you come into the bar with enough money to buy the place... doesn't mean the bartender has to serve you. Take the drink you were given! Don't bitch, and as you could see in your instance, it's probably busy if you get 'shorted' drink.
got to talk you soon! want to see about this new blog
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