Last night I went out to dinner for a friend’s birthday. Note this is not part of my tips for saving money however it’s highly recommended due to the social interactions with the currently employed. It’s like hanging out with your married friends. It gives you a sense of what it’s like on the other side, or just a helpful reminder of what you are missing out on, a steady paycheck.
Burma Superstar, a restaurant known for its long waits and no reservations policy, was our destination. One would think in these times of economic trouble and the fact it was a Tuesday night that the restaurant would be fairly open. One, as in myself, would be wrong on all accounts. Like trolling the job boards and searching endlessly for work, waiting for dinner at Burma Superstar is strikingly the same.
At the time it felt like eternity was passing me by. I watched people through the window eat their delicious and spicy Burmese food like I ride the bus with the employed; staring them down. Poodi and vegetarian samusa soup are the equivalent of well-coiffed hair, good shoes and a job.
Restaurant waiting is a micro-society all in to itself. From never knowing why a group of three gets called before you, a group of six could totally fit at the table if we squeezed, to wondering why a table is still occupied since it is now close to 8:00 and they’ve been there since 5:30. It’s like the job search. You keep waiting for your name to be called. Sending out cover letters and resumes and checking in with friends, it’s the soup du jour. You are not in control of the list. No matter how hungry you are; you have to wait and watch other people around you.
You know in the end it’s going to be worth it. At this point you have no other choice but to remain steadfast. Some days you just don’t want to stare in a window like a Dickensian street urchin begging for a food — it never ends well for the downtrodden just ask Madame Defarge — but each day brings that new opportunity to be called. We eventually sat down. We were a stubborn group. The wait was worth it. The poodi was an amazing mix of spicy and sweet and the samusa soup was warm and inviting. And yes while the rain was cold, we had heat lamps.
Talk to most anyone who is unemployed and they will come off slightly manic. The happy to have free time to explore projects juxtaposed with the seemingly endless and frustratingly lonely nature that is unemployment is hard to deal with. We are an angst-ridden bunch of teenagers waiting to break out on our own. While it does seem that I’m not in control, I have to remember that I am. I am in control of my own happiness. It’s a good thing I’m stubborn too.
