encouraged him to visit the UK so he would have an accent to everyone.
The third, and most eccentric waitress that we encountered was
actually on a previous visit to America, about a year and a half earlier – that
shows how memorable she was. This was the holiday when we spent two
whole weeks in Disneyworld, Florida. The restaurant in question was the
Prime Time Café, a 1950s themed diner in the MGM Studios theme park. Our
waitress’s name was Shirley and she was so in character as a 50s ‘mom’ that
it was easy to believe that Walt Disney had conquered the problems of time
travel. The atmosphere in the diner was so fun that we visited twice during our
stay, and encountered Shirley on a further occasion when she ran out of the
restaurant as we were walking past to give us a hug. This would have seemed
creepy coming from most people but Shirley was so disarming that she
carried it off with ease. She was also a stickler for manners, and this is what
made her so memorable. On the first time we ate at the diner she made me
take my baseball cap off while we were eating and she also discouraged us
from putting our elbows on the table, teaching us a little ditty to help us
remember: ‘Mabel, Mabel, strong and able,
Take your elbows off the table!’
Now some people might have found this rude, but she also let us just order
milkshakes and pudding on one visit, and anyone who lets us do that can get
away with saying anything to us!
Chatty waiters and waitresses who build up a rapport with their customers are
generally a good thing. The theory is that if they chat with you then they like
you, if they like you then they will serve you well, fast and without 'sneezers'. If