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Did I tell you the one about the Capitol One Barbarians?
A writer friend who lived in the French Quarter before Katrina, and is still within an hour of NO, sent this story along, and I don't remember if I posted it (short term memory currently as bad as those metal jelly beans they jiggle around during the "test your pool water" evaluation...).
{I'm forcing myself to write the letter to close my business, but it's like pulling teeth.}
Enjoy!
"Okay, I just thought that this was too weird/funny not to pass along. I’m inflicting this on you because you’ve all either lived in the Quarter or visited it enough to know what I’m talking about or are a writer I know with a good imagination who can appreciate this.
"A couple of quick points – if you didn’t know, I’ve moved out of the French Quarter and into Covington, which is north of Lake Pontchartrain. I now have a 1 hour commute to work, but I’m far enough out of the “danger zone” that I will not need to evacuate the next time a hurricane comes this way and I can provide nearby refuge for my friends (and their pets) who still live in the French Quarter. And at least once a week I trek down to the Quarter to see my friends and have a drink or two or three at Fahy’s. (Don’t worry – I don’t believe in drinking and driving.)
"The other thing you may not know (unless you currently live in the New Orleans area) is that we are still having a huge labor shortage down here for the lower-paying jobs. Oh, we’ve got plenty of legal or illegal immigrants from South America doing construction work, but the folks that we used to have who were willing to work the lower-income jobs are generally not satisfied to live in a 400 square foot apartment with 10 other people for $1,500/month (because we still have a huge shortage in housing). So we’ve had a labor shortage with all sorts of places competing for low-end workers, from Walmart to Burger King. And I suppose that’s what sets the stage for what I encountered this evening:
"Okay. We [Quarter-ites] all know the type: The sort of sleazy, looser type folks (not all of them of course, but many) whom we are used to seeing in the French Quarter working as, oh, dish-washers or bar-backs, or cleaning bars in the early morning. The ones who most likely drank or gambled away their pay from the previous day.
"Now, think back to those Capital One TV ads with the barbarians trying to earn a living in our modern world now that it no longer ‘pays’ to be a barbarian.
"Well, I experienced the funniest crossing of those two things today, most likely due to Hurricane Katrina’s effects on our local economy.
"On my way home from work, I decided to “splurge” on some fast, non-healthy food –- I drove through the McDonald’s which is at the north end of Covington, not too far from where I live. I was just a little surprised when I saw that the person at “the first window” (to take my money), was a thin middle-aged, sleazy, looser looking sort of guy with an after-5 shadow who would have fit into the French Quarter perfectly before Katrina. He didn’t look as though he was enjoying his job and wasn’t even going to bother ‘faking’ a pleasant “have a nice day….” But of course, I was pleasant anyway. (He wasn’t rude – he just didn’t look very happy.)
"But it got funnier.
"As I was paying this guy, someone at the next window was waiving (literally) my bag of food outside of the pick up window –- a “come and get it, it’s ready, it’s ready,” sort of thing. So I waited for my change, and then drove to the window to see *another* French Quarter-looking type! Another middle-aged, seen too many bars sort of guy. Only he was having fun with his ‘predicament.’ He commented, “Shame that that he can’t make change as fast as we can get the food ready for ya!”
"Ah yes. Your friends are the ones who will poke at you the most. So here we have two guys who look like they belong in the Quarter, instead working at a McDonalds in Covington. When I got home, I found a small flier stuffed into the bag of food – a McDonald’s “mini-application” touting their “up to $9/hour” wages and benefits packages, along with the “Now Hiring!!!” and “Overnight Shifts!” (24 hour McDonald’s obviously).
"Anyway, I just thought that it was too funny and all I could think of was that the Capital One Barbarians are alive and working at the Covington McDonald’s."
{I'm forcing myself to write the letter to close my business, but it's like pulling teeth.}
Enjoy!
"Okay, I just thought that this was too weird/funny not to pass along. I’m inflicting this on you because you’ve all either lived in the Quarter or visited it enough to know what I’m talking about or are a writer I know with a good imagination who can appreciate this.
"A couple of quick points – if you didn’t know, I’ve moved out of the French Quarter and into Covington, which is north of Lake Pontchartrain. I now have a 1 hour commute to work, but I’m far enough out of the “danger zone” that I will not need to evacuate the next time a hurricane comes this way and I can provide nearby refuge for my friends (and their pets) who still live in the French Quarter. And at least once a week I trek down to the Quarter to see my friends and have a drink or two or three at Fahy’s. (Don’t worry – I don’t believe in drinking and driving.)
"The other thing you may not know (unless you currently live in the New Orleans area) is that we are still having a huge labor shortage down here for the lower-paying jobs. Oh, we’ve got plenty of legal or illegal immigrants from South America doing construction work, but the folks that we used to have who were willing to work the lower-income jobs are generally not satisfied to live in a 400 square foot apartment with 10 other people for $1,500/month (because we still have a huge shortage in housing). So we’ve had a labor shortage with all sorts of places competing for low-end workers, from Walmart to Burger King. And I suppose that’s what sets the stage for what I encountered this evening:
"Okay. We [Quarter-ites] all know the type: The sort of sleazy, looser type folks (not all of them of course, but many) whom we are used to seeing in the French Quarter working as, oh, dish-washers or bar-backs, or cleaning bars in the early morning. The ones who most likely drank or gambled away their pay from the previous day.
"Now, think back to those Capital One TV ads with the barbarians trying to earn a living in our modern world now that it no longer ‘pays’ to be a barbarian.
"Well, I experienced the funniest crossing of those two things today, most likely due to Hurricane Katrina’s effects on our local economy.
"On my way home from work, I decided to “splurge” on some fast, non-healthy food –- I drove through the McDonald’s which is at the north end of Covington, not too far from where I live. I was just a little surprised when I saw that the person at “the first window” (to take my money), was a thin middle-aged, sleazy, looser looking sort of guy with an after-5 shadow who would have fit into the French Quarter perfectly before Katrina. He didn’t look as though he was enjoying his job and wasn’t even going to bother ‘faking’ a pleasant “have a nice day….” But of course, I was pleasant anyway. (He wasn’t rude – he just didn’t look very happy.)
"But it got funnier.
"As I was paying this guy, someone at the next window was waiving (literally) my bag of food outside of the pick up window –- a “come and get it, it’s ready, it’s ready,” sort of thing. So I waited for my change, and then drove to the window to see *another* French Quarter-looking type! Another middle-aged, seen too many bars sort of guy. Only he was having fun with his ‘predicament.’ He commented, “Shame that that he can’t make change as fast as we can get the food ready for ya!”
"Ah yes. Your friends are the ones who will poke at you the most. So here we have two guys who look like they belong in the Quarter, instead working at a McDonalds in Covington. When I got home, I found a small flier stuffed into the bag of food – a McDonald’s “mini-application” touting their “up to $9/hour” wages and benefits packages, along with the “Now Hiring!!!” and “Overnight Shifts!” (24 hour McDonald’s obviously).
"Anyway, I just thought that it was too funny and all I could think of was that the Capital One Barbarians are alive and working at the Covington McDonald’s."
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