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March 09, 2006
The World Comes to Wendy's
When we saw the confused-looking mass of people standing in and out of line at Wendy's, we almost turned around and walked back out. But, our wallets were thin and the lure of the 99 cent menu was strong. We took our place in the back of line. I started counting. There were 14 of them: most were edging out of middle-age, but a couple landed somewhere in the thirty-something range. It was an unexpected group to see at a fast food joint on a Sunday night, particularly with just one man-with-a-credit-card preparing to foot the bill. A reunion of former Wendy employees, perhaps?
And then, we realized. About half of them were not speaking English. Neither of us could quite place the language, but it was unmistakably eastern European. Suddenly, the strange contrast of fashion that had hitherto befuddled me made sense. Half of the company exhibited a typical southern aesthetic: oxfords and khakis for the men, brightly colored twin sets and coordinated earrings for the women. But "Eastern European" explained that lady-in-salmon's lavish embroidery. That woman's fur lined boots, that lady's orange-and-black tweed skirt, and that man's silky burgundy tie and mustard houndstooth jacket found a happy, harmonious place in the grand geographical scheme of international fashion.
Wait... Eastern European?! What brought this eclectic group together? What were they doing here? And, most importantly, what would they think of Wendy's? We began listening in earnest.
Ordering was a painful process. The man-with-the-credit-card tried to be helpful and corral folks towards the register, but those who had already ordered found themselves captivated by the strange and wonderful items requested by those who followed...and tacked on additional requests to the last person in line. Another salad, please? Make that two. What is this "Caesar"? What was that brown thing in the cup? The lady in salmon trotted back up to the register with one final request: "Can they have more potatoes?" she asked. "They like those a lot. Maybe three?"
By the time it was our turn to order, the Wendy's employees were understandably exhausted and their supplies were running low. Among our planned dinner of 99 cent items we asked for a potato. "We're all out," the girl sighed.
We were bemused. The world had come to Wendy's, spent $63.66, and eaten all the baked potatoes. Is this the globalization everyone's been talking about?
Carefully Dramatized Life Accounts | By elissa | 05:00 PM
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