Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress - Softcover

Taylor, Candacy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080147440X ISBN 13: 9780801474408

Publisher: ILR Press, 2009

Synopsis

"Career waitresses do more than just serve food. They are part psychiatrist, part grandmother, part friend, and they serve every walk of American life: from the retired and the widowed, to the wounded and the lonely, and from the working class to the wealthy. The classic diner waitress is an icon of American culture. . . . This book takes a moment to honor and recognize waitresses' contribution to our communities. Doing this project has helped me to redefine my perspective on life, work, and happiness. It has made me reevaluate the myth of the American dream that says you need to have an 'important' job to be happy."―from Counter CultureIn large cities and small towns across the country, the best diners and coffee shops are more than just restaurants: they are neighborhood institutions that bring together communities. From the Gold 'N Silver Inn in Reno, Nevada to the U.S.A. Country Diner in Windsor, New Jersey, these special places are not defined by their menus or décor, but by the waitresses who have establish bonds with their customers and their communities over years-and sometimes decades-of service. Counter Culture is a window into the lives of career waitresses who have worked in diners and coffee shops for up to sixty years. Since 2001, Candacy A. Taylor (a former waitress herself) has traveled more than 26,000 miles throughout the United States collecting stories of these "lifers," as many waitresses aged fifty or over playfully call themselves. She interviewed fifty-seven waitresses in thirty-eight towns and cities. Their compelling stories are complemented and enhanced by Taylor's striking color photographs of the waitresses at work.Taylor expected that the waitresses she'd meet would feel overworked and underappreciated, but was surprised and delighted to find that the opposite was true. The proud, capable waitresses Taylor interviewed loved their jobs and, even if given the opportunity, "wouldn't do anything else." Nearly all the waitresses said that the physical labor of waitressing helped them to age more gracefully and that the daily contact with customers and coworkers kept them socially engaged. Lifers generally make more money from serving regular customers with whom they forge bonds over decades and their seniority earns them respect from their coworkers and managers. Taylor's sensitive and respectful portrayal of career waitresses who have turned their jobs into a rewarding lifetime pursuit turns Counter Culture into an invaluable portrait of the continued importance of community in our changing society.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"A loving ode to women who are the heart and soul of America's diners, Counter Culture is a treasure for all who value food with character, served by real characters. Its stories about veteran waitresses are fun, poignant, and tremendously informative, including detailed information about the unique talents required for the job. The evocative photographs of these rare personalities and their workplaces are a siren call to hit the road and meet them while they're still around."--Jane and Michael Stern, Roadfood.com

"I wish my mother, a career waitress, were alive to page through this wonderful tribute to her work. These strong and shrewd women have seen a lot of life from behind the counter, and Candacy Taylor does a terrific job of portraying them and letting them speak for themselves."--Mike Rose, author of The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker

"Thoughtful, compelling, and beautifully illustrated, Counter Culture is a worthy tribute to its subject--the uniquely talented women who have dedicated their lives to providing comfort and service along with that cup of joe."--Debra Ginsberg, author of Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress

"Older coffee shop waitresses are everywhere once you start looking but are often invisible and taken for granted. Counter Culture is an informed, entertaining, thought-provoking, and moving homage to a group of workers and to their occupation. Candacy A. Taylor's photographs and interviews reveal how funny and perceptive career waitresses really are."--Dorothy Sue Cobble, Rutgers University, author of Dishing It Out: Waitresses and Their Unions in the Twentieth Century

"The photographs, testimonials, and insider information in this beautifully designed book all exalt 'lifer' waitresses--as they have every reason to be exalted. Counter Culture will make any reader yearn to reach a waitress's honor roll: to be a regular."--Alison Owings, author of Hey, Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray

About the Author

Candacy A. Taylor is an award-winning photographer, writer, and visual artist. For eight years she has produced multimedia ethnography and oral history projects that challenge common stereotypes of women and class. She has conducted research for National Geographic and the Library of Congress and has received numerous grants for her work, including two Story Fund grants from the California Council for the Humanities.

Edition details

• Publisher: ILR Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 080147440X
• ISBN 13: 9780801474408
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 156