Counter Culture by Candacy Taylor
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...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 charactersIts 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 *Oral historian, photographer and former waitress Taylor turned her aching joints into the springboard for a mission: uncovering the experiences of diner waitresses in this sociological overview. Most are 'lifers,' now senior citizens who abhor the idea of retirement. Others may see these women as uneducated service workers, but waitresses see themselves as psychologists, nurses, and family to their beloved regulars, who expect a little sass with their ham and eggs. Along with their extraordinary work ethic and oversized personalities, there are reminders of the occupational reality of below-minimum wages (which must be supplemented by substantial tips) and lack of medical and retirement benefits (which might be one reason these lifers just can't stay away from their greasy spoons). With color photographs (mostly by Taylor) of waitresses in their diners on almost every page plus feisty first-person anecdotes about how the women handle nasty customers and customers who sneak out without paying the bill (one waitress threw a ketchup bottle at them), this unique perspective is much like the professional diner waitress—difficult to pigeonhole, impossible to ignore.
* Publishers Weekly *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. To learn more about Taylor's work or to participate in her community blog on coffee shop culture, visit: www.taylormadeculture.com.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780801474408 |
| ISBN 10 | 080147440X |
| Title | Counter Culture |
| Author | Candacy Taylor |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cornell University Press |
| Year published | 2009-08-06 |
| Number of pages | 156 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |