Back of the house

Streets take you by the front door. Trains give you a view of the back door, the back lot. You’re not likely to catch the dishwasher at a nice restaurant on a back-alley smoke break from your car. Walking you will.

I’ve always loved diners and dive bars. I like eating at the bar, and open kitchens. Watch the work.

I enjoy a 5-star location as much as the next guy, particularly given my strong opinions on proper drink, proper food, and proper service. But I worry that too many have lost respect for proper in some “look at me” quest for posh.  

There are pallets and trash and plastic chairs and stuff that doesn’t make sense behind the stores, the restaurants, the bars, the factories, the what-the-heck-do-they do-there businesses.

It’s the polar opposite of show. It’s back there because it played a part in the show up front. Creation. Execution. Delivery. Logistics. Worker post-game. Very necessary post-game.

People put that crap back there. They didn’t just toss it back there, but they did toss it. They tossed it after they drove it, lifted it, made it, or used it. They run their lap in the long race with clear eyes. Handing off the baton. Job done. Maybe get to some front of a house after they’re off the clock.

Many of us are fortunate enough to play golf on courses we know will have meticulously manicured fairways and greens waiting for us when we walk out of the pro shop. Do we even know where the greens crew barn is on our favorite course? Bet the beer in their old fridge is colder than those in the grill room. Jokes are definitely better.

Lots of forces forcing us further apart today. And I’m not even talking about the jaw-dropping treason. The jaw-dropping tech advancements I fear can have a further isolating downside in a world where many either still work from home or wish they did. Certainly some cringy element to all of these artificial stand-ins for naturally using our own heads. Certainly many workers out there who have seen no change or load lightening. Show up. And do the hard work.

I hope we can all collectively prosper from these tech marvels and not make this a race run by some to be even more front at the front of the house. More front than yesterday. More front than you.

We should walk some small steps from the front of the house to the back and take a look. Or a slow train ride. Real stuff happening back there.