Well, winter is finally here. The winter is always tough at little diners like the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, Alberta. Roads are not great, the weather outside is frightful, and people are inclined to stay home, in their Pajamas, watching movies eating snacks. Well, at least those who are not required to make their way through an Alberta blizzard to get to work. January is generally the toughest month of the year for us, this year is no different.
Those of us in the hospitality industry don’t do this job because we think we’re going to get rich. We don’t do it because we want an easy life. We do this type of work because we enjoy serving people. We enjoy creating delicious meals and watching peoples faces light up with delight as they bite into our culinary creations. In the diner world, comfort food is the foundation of what we do, so we’re not generally known for creating inspired dishes that change the world, (although we DO do that at the Whistle Stop Cafe all the time!) rather we tend to focus on food that reminds you of what mom cooked when you were younger. Mac and cheese, roast beef dinner, Ham dinners, Salisbury Steak and other, “real meals.” People really appreciate that type of feeling.
Contrary to what many people believe there is not a lot of money in feeding people, unless of course you happen to run a large corporate restaurant and sell piles of drinks every day. Even then, the cost of doing business is astronomical. Many of those larger venues pay $15,000 to $25,000 PER MONTH to lease the building! Even this little place of mine the utility bills top $5000 some months. Property tax? $5500/year. Insurance? $7600 per year. Refrigeration equipment maintenance per year? nearly $5000. The point is, there is always somewhere for your profit to disappear, so unless you truly love what you do, you don’t continue.
It is maddening to have to point out that if, for some strange reason, (in an alternate universe where we have no rights,) the government decides to force businesses to close their doors because they’re trying to cover their asses for failing to prepare for a cold and flu season by allowing unchecked bureaucracy to destroy the system that’s supposed to protect us, The business owner MUST maintain payments on those bills, even with zero business. Some businesses that failed and had to close were still liable for the remaining lease payments on the contract, AND they lost EVERYTHING inside the building.
But, I digress. I’m also digesting since I just enjoyed a delicious bacon and egg breakfast sandwich on a home-made bun here at the Whistle Stop Cafe.
This journey into a world of serving others has enriched my life tremendously and I’ve learned something about myself – I really enjoy being a servant. I’m not talking about washing peoples feet or anything like that, (although the greatest servant that ever lived and lived again did, in fact, wash peoples feet,) I mean I enjoy doing things for people. Making their food, bringing it to them, cleaning up the coffee they just spilled on the table before it ends up on their lap, things like that. It is not a glamourous job. It is often times thankless, but for some reason it feels good.
Even more so that serving people food to eat, it also feels great to feed people information that enriches their lives. It feels good to feed peoples souls. Sounds strange right? Let me try and explain before the memes start- There have been MANY people over the last few years who have lost hope due to the circumstance we found ourselves in at the hands of the governments irresponsible handling of the pandemic. These people were and are hungry for hope.
In this time, I’ve realized a couple things- first thing is that we had never actually lost hope because everything that happens happens for a reason and is, of course, part of God’s plan. (If you don’t believe in God, you may believe that the universe is in a perfect balance and that everything happens for a reason.)
The second thing is that while we were looking, and waiting for someone to save us, to give us hope, that person was always right in front of us- in the mirror when we brushed our teeth in the morning. That person is, and always has been, us!
The food we need most for our souls is firstly the knowledge of God, his plan, and his love for his creation. Yes, I understand that you may not believe that but this is my blog, and my opinion so I’ll share it freely! Second, the knowledge that we have the power and ability to make change happen in not only our own lives, but the lives of those around us. This is so evident in even the small acts of service- holding a door open for a lady, shoveling that little piece of your neighbors’ sidewalk, paying it forward, (rearward?) at the drivethrough, these little things can turn someones’ day right around. They can improve someones’ attitude to the point that they succeed in something they would not have been able to do otherwise, and that thing they succeed in could change the world. You never know.
The other side of that coin is that your actions could result in the exact opposite, and cause harm. You never know. This is an area that I need to focus on and improve as I’m quite hot headed and tend to lash out at dumbasses. Crap, there I go again.
The last four years have been service-focused for many. In my case I’ve spent a lot of time and money travelling around the province, (and other provinces including Ontario;) I’ve done my best to be of service to the people of Alberta and elsewhere in order to encourage them to participate in becoming the solution, becoming the change they want to see in the world. It feels great to share stories with people and watch their faces light up as they come to the realization that there is a solution to the issues we all face.
It’s every bit as satisfying as cooking an amazing meal and knowing that people enjoyed what I created.
So, thank you for affording me the privilege of serving you, both the food that fill your bellies and the food that feeds your soul.
Christopher Scott,
Whistle Stop Cafe