Good drunks

I´m rather delusional when it comes to alcohol and drunkenness. Being not much of a drinker myself, I don´t really know what goes on in the mind of a drunk. According to my experiences a person can either be annoyingly happy or aggressive and moody. I´m also poor at dealing with drunken friends: I don´t know if I should leave them be or crudely take the bottle away.

Of course my view has slightly changed with my current job. I meet merry drunks all the time. Since I´m the person feeding them in their worst hunger they usually have the patience to behave like human beings. Who would want to piss off the girl of the grill?? But there are always people who get childish and provocative and rude. Especially closing of the customer area provokes a lot of anger...

- Why is the customer area not open???

- We closed it at half 11.

- Why???

- Umm... that´s just the policy.

- Why??? etc...

Last Monday I did, however, learn that one doesn´t always need to be so rejective and suspicious towards drunks. Not always do they behave in an unpredictable way. It can even be pleasant to mix with them. A drunk can be childish but also open and curious which is highly welcome in this coldest one of the cold countries.

A group of guys came in. The tallest one of them had a bottle of some yellow spirit with him. I immediately thought they could be trouble. The guy did put the bottle away in my request and seemed very good-natured altogether. He ordered a big burger to his mate. As I started cooking, the tall guy started a conversation. He asked how long my hair was and then wanted to order a fried egg for himself. He was very pleased as I also gave him garlic mayo.

He was tipsy unlike his mates. I heard him talking to the other customers, asking “how are you doing”. I could imagine people stepping back and avoiding his eye contact. Who would want to talk to a tipsy big man?

Later on he came back to talk to me and all the time was extremely polite and even apologized for disturbing me. The dude told me all the three of them were frequent visitors in Norway and I told them I´ve been there too. The guy eating the burger was their “driver” who had many times driven to Norway with the other fellows drinking in the backseat. This image made me laugh...

And so we chatted and I almost forgot him ever having booze with him. I never found him flirty or annoying. As the driver finished his meal, the bunch of Norway-fans thanked me for great customer service (although I didn´t do anything special). On his way out the tall guy greeted another frightened customer.

That experience helped me with my fear of drunks, I think. To sum up I would say that it pays back to treat drunks as “normal” people because they respond to rudeness and also get offended more easily. Although some drunks do get upset with no reason. But if you expect good behavior, you more likely will get it. Applies also to kids and some pets... Those guys might even remember me being nice to them and come again on another Monday night.

From now on I won´t judge drunks only because they´re drunk. Isn´t this a great new year´s promise?