The Waitress Formerly Known as Janette

I had a hard time finding people to talk to today. There were cell phones everywhere. So I took my dog for a walk, and wandered into the tiny, run-down Chinese restaurant by my house. The place was empty, as usual.

"I'm just here to meet a neighbor!" I said.

The waitress was an older lady who spoke broken English. I asked her, "Are you Chinese?" to which she corrected me: "No, I'm Taiwanese!"

She said her name was Janette. Her husband was the cook of the restaurant, and he had been cooking for 30 years. She has been in the U.S. for 25 years, waitressing the restaurant for her husband.

I smiled: "Is Janette your real name?"

She leaned over the counter and smiled back: "No, my real name is a Chinese name. Too hard to pronounce. When I got here, I just liked the American name Janette, so I called myself that." And it stuck.

It's amazing the stories you find. She told me she hates it when people eat all their food, and then complain they don't like it. "I kicked a mean man out of here and said, 'Don't you ever come back!' when he didn't want to pay." She has even called the police on people, but doesn't anymore: "They don't come for 20-30 minutes!" she complains, laughing.

I told her my wife doesn't like Chinese food. She recommended the house cashew chicken for her.