CL 02/11

Learning to Serve – Tony Mirabelli Questions

• This chapter explores the constructed ways of “reading” texts (and customers) along with the verbal “performances” and other manipulations of self presentation that characterize interactive service work. Mirabelli hopes this essay will contribute to the development of understandings and policies that build more respect and recognition for service work to help ensure it does not become equated with servitude.
• More than just a factual, or literal interpretation of the words on the page, it requires knowledge of specific practices – such as methods of food preparation – that take place in a particular restaurant.
• The position of authority is further shifted toward the servers in fine dining restaurants by the common practice of printing menus in foreign languages, such as French, because it shifts the responsibility of food ordering from the customer, who will often will not understand the language, to the waiter.

Class Notes – In General/Over Lecture

• Marbelli’s side is people look down on and talk to service industry people in a way that would never be socially acceptable in any other context.
• Marbelli’s purpose: serving is more than just serving
• Qualities: verbal cues, non-verbal cues, have to be able to be dealt with appropriately
• Service workers ARE NOT servants
• More than just literal; what pairs with what, the process to cook the food, and the ingredients of the food itself
• Service work is categorized as work for low intelligence peoples; even though it is anything but that
• More friendly=higher tips –> fine dining service industry

Marbelli’s Triangle

• What is the gap? I think the gap is just simply looking us dead in the face; I think Marbelli sees the gap that people are failing to consider is that you need multi-literacies in order to actively participate in socialization. You need to be well read and actively participate in other communities in order to be able to function as a decent person in society. Fluency in multiple literacies is like being fluent in another language, it is almost necessary to living in today’s society.
• Readers: people not in the service industry
• The Gap? – Class Discussion:
  • People lack the concept that not everything wrong in their little worlds are our faults as part of the service industry.
  • Identifying literacies; non-textual
  • Marbelli is identifying that there are several literacies that are missing in these interactions with the service industry and the public.