BLUE !DEAS

“Isang Salo Salo Set, ‘yung good for 3.” me talking to the one in-charge in the counter. I was in Landmark Food court to order some pretty decent dinner for me and my friends that night.

“Sir, dine in or take out?” she asked politely.

“Take out.” i answered with a flirty grin. LOL.

“Sir, 299 pesos po.” She answered again this time smiling back while licking her lips like she’s ready to jump and eat me raw without salt and pepper. I’m kidding of course. Nothing like that happened. Stop laughing you wicked freak!

I do not fancy fast-food that much since i am more of a lutong bahay person. Dalhin mo na ako sa carinderia wag lang sa chowking. Now if i haven’t got much time to really do some prito prito at home.. i’d settle for the overrated mass produced fast-food everybody is raving about.

“Paging customer number 55!” the lady from chowking. Ready na daw ung limang halo-halo na order nila.

So there, i made the payment right after she confirmed my order. Binigay nya ung number ko, told me to wait for my number to be called.

“Paging customer number 55!” the lady from chowking announcing the same line.

While waiting.. I deliberately watched the other food stall on how they prepare their spaghetti with chicken, parang gumawa lang ng halo-halo ah. A little bit of pasta, salok ng sauce, salpak ng manok and WALLAH! Walang kwenta.. a food worth more than a hundred bucks, full of deadly fake seasonings and a pasta pretending to be food.

“Paging customer number 55!” and again.

After 15 interesting minutes.. my order hasn’t been done yet. I guess the Sweet and Sour Pork takes longer to prepare.

“Paging customer number 55! Your order is ready!” Mukhang mainit na ulo ni Miss. Tunaw na ung halo-halo, wala pa ring customer number 55 pumupunta sa counter. After a span of minutes, ayun lumabas na ung order ko from their kitchen.

Enter my pathetic attempt to rant about something i hate the most. Forgive me if i don’t do justice on this topic.. imma bad storyteller mind you.

Madaming staff sa counter at sa kitchen, more or less mga pito sila. They are serving like 2 to 3 people  that time. I just don’t get the point kung bakit antagal naka-tengga ung order ko to think na andami nila. Kung inasikaso sana nila eh di mas madami silang time para magpetiks dahil wala naman masyado nag-oorder sa kanila nung oras na ‘yun.

“Paging *fucking* customer number 55!” Oh i’d wish the staff announcing should just swear bring out the vampire in her, jump off from where she stands and start biting every human near the perimeter. Sounds like a good episode to me.

Si mamang chow king staff, inabot ata ng 15 minutes to pack my order. 20 minutes to prepare the food plus 15 minutes to pack it. That’s 35 minutes of wasted time. 35 minutes of my time. Pwede namang 10 minutes lang sana yun.

“Paging customer number 55!” Sa wakas lumapit na si Customer Number 55.

“Akala ko ba ide-deliver n’yo sa amin?” Sabi ng taenang nagmamalaking si Customer Number 55.

“Sir for pick up lang po dito sa food court. Wala pong waiter dito.” the staff. Umiiling iling ang paksyet na si Customer Number 55. Akala sya siguro nasa first class resto sya at kelangan syang pag-silbihan ng mga waiter.

Kinuha ni Number 55 ung order. Ang hinayupak, nasa harap lang pala ng counter ‘yung table nila, inabot ng halos sampung announce ang staff, wala pa palang sampung hakbang kung nasan sila. . Tumatawa tawa pa ang gago, akala mo nalamangan sya. Akalain mo, ilang minuto rin sya naghihintay, akala nya kasi dadalhin sa mismong paanan nya ang in-order na halo-halo. Ni hindi na nga pinapansin ang paulit ulit na tawag mula sa counter.

sa 30 mahigit na minuto na tumunganga ako sa food court waiting for my order, madami nangyari. I just can’t help but observe people lalo na’t kukupad kupad sa mga galaw nila.

Si Counter Staff, i bet she’s not even earning 120,000 pesos a year for a job so tedious but still she works hard probably because she needs the job.

Si mamang staff, though slow moving, kita sa itsura nya ang hirap sa buhay. kelangan din n’ya ng trabaho.

Si Chowking Cook. Alam ko by the book ang pagluluto nila, may step by step process para saktong sakto ang luto at lasa ni Sweet and Sour Pork.

Si Management Trainee ng kabilang counter. Nag-iisip na rin sigurong mag-resign kasi nakakabobo ang maglagay ng manok sa plato, magsalok ng spaghetti sauce at mag-slice ng pizza. Di bale na, pwede na rin, Supervisor naman.

Si Nanay na nag-oorder ng Chow Fan. Inabutan ng dinner sa labas, she probably wanted to cook at home for her kids given the time pero she thought na mas convenient na lang na kumain or mag-take out dun kasi mahirap umuwi during rush hour.

Si Customer Number 55. Akala nya porke’t sya ung nag-oorder, buhay hari na sya, gusto nya pinag-sisilbihan sya na kung tutuusin pwede naman syang humakbang lang ng konti para makuha ang pagkain nya. Bakit halo-halo sa alas otso ng gabi?

At ako, naghihintay ng order ko. Almost worked for Chow King when i was in college, dahil kelangan ko rin ng part time job, kaso di ako pumasa sa interview. Naangasan ata yung nag-interview. Haha. Kung sana mabilis ung pag-prepare ng order ko, i could have saved 20 minutes sa oras ko. Imagine 20 minutes lost everyday dahil mabagal gumalaw ang ibang mga tao. That’s 2 hours and 20 mins in one week, enough Pampanga round trip time. 10hours saved yun for a month, isang mahabang tulog na yun para sa akin. Round trip na byahe na rin yun going to La union.

Kaso hindi. Nasayang pa rin ang ilang minuto. The thing is, hindi pare-pareho ang tao, may mabibilis gumalaw at maglakad, may iba naman na ubod ng bagal. Kung lahat sana tayo mabilis maglakad or gumalaw, eh di wala sanang pila o naghihintay. hindi sana nasayang ang 20 minutes ko. At si customer number 55, kung kinuha nya sana ung order nya agad eh di hindi nasayang ang ilang minuto ni Counter Staff sa kaka-announce ng numero nya. Mas nagka-oras sana sya sa order ko. at sa ibang mga customer nila, may tsansa sana si counter staff para umupo sandali at magpahinga.

kaso hindi, dahil nga kay customer number 55. Sya na lang gawin nating salarin.. medyo mayabang ang hinayupak eh..

Tags: kwentang walang kwento, kwentong walang kwenta