A WAITER IN PARIS

A former waiter in Paris shares unsettling memories from behind the scenes.

In 2011, following the financial crisis and “a string of petty jobs,” Chisholm moved from London to Paris in search of a satisfying career. Although it wasn’t his original plan, he took a restaurant job while fantasizing about becoming a writer. Despite having little knowledge of the French language or experience as a server, he managed to fake his way into a position as a runner in an upscale restaurant, where he was labeled L’Anglais. In trial-by-fire fashion, Chisholm faced extremely hierarchical and competitive working conditions; after six brutal months, he became an official waiter. In this revealing social commentary, Chisholm shares the appalling working conditions that he and his co-workers faced behind the facade of fine French dining. “As a waiter,” he writes, “you quickly get used to the fact that people believe they can talk to you like a lower species.” Each of his colleagues diligently played their roles in this “vast culinary amphitheatre” even as they endured condescending managers and rude customers. Working long, grueling shifts, Chisholm reveals that the staff often scraped by on stolen cigarette breaks and stale coffee and rolls. On luckier occasions, they secretly consumed half-touched plates and unfinished glasses of wine left by patrons. The author delves into the difficulties and uncertainties that he and his co-workers faced getting paid or taking time off, and he shares his experiences with squalid living conditions and even homelessness. Although the book is set in Paris, Chisholm demonstrates how his stories of struggle have universal appeal. After months of dealing with his uncaring, corrupt employers, Chisholm found himself dreaming of an uprising against them. Following an injury on the job, his path became clear: “I felt almost duty bound to write this book. To give a voice to an invisible workforce.” In that, he succeeds admirably.

An enlightening view of the underworld of fine French dining.