Taco Time taught me how to deal with public

True confession: I hate it when I go off on someone whose job it is to "deal with the public."

The reason?

I've so BEEN that person — the store clerk, the server, the receptionist.

Oh, yes.

I, too, have worked with the American Public in all those capacities.

I'm thinking of the days when I was a professional bean slinger at Taco Time.

OK.

Here's what my Taco Time employee outfit looked like.

I wore brown polyester pants, a brown polyester top, and a brown (possibly polyester) hat.

There was so much brown polyester going on (and I have said this before) you would have thought I was a member of the University of Wyoming Cheer and/or Pom Squad.

MEMO TO MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING CHEER AND/OR POM SQUAD: Please don't take offense! No one would ever mistake you guys for a 1970s Taco Time employee!

I promise!

Anyway, one night I took an intercom order from a gentleman who told me he wanted three fried bean burritos.

So I shouted the order to our cook.

"THREE HARD WHITES!"

(That was short for "three fried bean burritos.)

If, on the other hand, the customer had ordered three fried meat burritos, I would have shouted "THREE HARD YELLOWS!" to the cook.

Yes!

I know!

I can still speak Taco Time!

When the customer "pulled forward to the first window," I presented him with his order.

He sniffed.

"Excuse me, but I didn't order these."

Excuse me, I wanted to sniff back, but you totally did.

"I'm sorry," I said politely, "what did you order instead?"

"Three soft meat burritos."

OK.

In that case I should have yelled THREE SOFT YELLOWS to the cook.