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My best friend has been a bartender since he was legally able to. As long as I've known him I've always ended up hanging out at his different bar jobs shooting the poo poo and drinking once or twice a week. It is a hell of an interesting industry - I come from a casino background myself (out now) and I found a lot of similarities. He's worked all over South Florida and especially Miami in all different types of places but the most memorable to me is a little poo poo hole bar in a nearly bare strip mall next to a highway that somehow had a liquor license that let them stay open and serve until 8 am. Apparently the only bar from a bird's view that could do this. That's also the only bar I didn't drop into more than once. Besides the usual haggard cougar types offering to split (your) blow with you in the bathroom, this bar had the highest percentage of convicts per capita I have ever encountered and was located directly next to a dilapidated trailer park. The owner would outright spy on the bartenders with a webcam system that they would actively monitor and call in to bitch about things or accuse them of stealing (which obviously can happen). My pal also had to double as the bouncer and he's got a great story of him and one other bartender having to eject the ENTIRE bar that was having one huge brawl. They ended up barricading the door with their bodies and whatever they could find to stop them from breaking back in to fight and drink some more. It is hard sometimes to match up the dude who writes heartfelt poetry in spanish and will call me up to invite me to discuss the latest issue of Lapham's Quarterly with the man who keeps a baseball bat (or worse) in the backseat at all times - just in case. I didn't grow up in the best parts of Miramar myself as a kid but that's a far cry from growing up on the wrong block over from 8th st. The people you meet that live for the night are always more interesting than 9-5 types. They seem to sense more than others the illusory nature of the pacts we make with society. Thanks for the thread and the stories! Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Aug 10, 2012 |
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Aug 10, 2012 21:25
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| # ¿ May 6, 2024 13:32 |
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