Looooong Typically Wonderful Day-Cafe 458 and "Bodies"

Ecclesiastes 2:24
"There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good."

I awoke this morning at a nice 7:20 am--not so unusual for an 8am-3pm workday, until one blinks, thinks hard, and remembers the day is Saturday. I'm working six days a week because it's fun, and I get out by 3pm anyhow--plenty of time and energy to spend on sightseeing!

This morning I was especially needed at Cafe 458; my mentor Christy nearly went into shock after 7 volunteers cut out on volunteering Saturday. She makes a practice of doublechecking on those who have signed up by giving them a call Friday afternoon--these 7 claimed either lack of transportation or family emergency.

Result: When I tootled into the Cafe today, there were four sous chefs and expert chef Sara but scarcely anyone in the cafe. Result of that: I got to dismantle the tables, rearrange them, mop floors, check/clean restrooms, prepare food, prepare drinks, orient slowly-incoming volunteers, set up outside tables and umbrellas, etc. It was nice to feel truly needed and to have finally achieved a level of familiarity with the kitchen and cafe that I could help quickly and efficiently.

As it is the weekend, Cafe 458 is open to paying customers from all around, letting them know of the entirely-volunteer staff (almost an apology in advance, say the cynical), that all proceeds including tip go towards helping the homeless (aka Tips are Great!), and that the Specials today are absolutely, absolutely fantastic. Anyone curious?

• Roasted Salmon, Corn, and Scallion Omelet with Creole White Sauce and Sweet Corn Bread,
• Veggie Benedict with Roasted Tomato Salad,
• Cinnamon Apple and Raisin French Toast with Caramel Sauce,
• Lemon Pancakes with Blueberries, and
• Spinach, Artichoke and Provolone Frittata!

Oh goodness--and let's just say there are certain benefits accompanying volunteering beyond that warm fuzzy feeling--such as furtive slices of upside-down apple pancake and the extra orders of poached egg with hollandaise. :) Quite good, my friends. Do come and visit! 458 Edgewood Ave, Atlanta, GA!

Anyhow, I had my first difficult brunch customers (the homeless weekday lunch clients can be extremely picky, but paying brunch weekenders aren't usually particular--funny, eh?). A couple with many connections to Duke University engaged me in conversation about the lacrosse team and proceeded to systematically send back each of their seven dishes back to the kitchen for further preparation or redo TWICE. A very nice couple, just insistent on perfection.

Another first: I was tipped $19--TWICE! A few of the clients asked me lots of questions about the Samaritan House and I've finally soaked up enough info to give a decent summary of its operations and mission--they were so intrigued as to give me their contact information for volunteering as well as the generous tips! What a happy day.

Christy gave me the oft-bemoaned task of kitchen and cafe cleanup. Now, I've never worked in a restaurant prior now, so I hadn't realized the intense setup and cleanup sanitation practices. I mean, bugs and bacteria can thrive on kitchen nooks and crannies with food constantly passing through. That's why the cafe keeps plenty of "H and G" on-hand--two chemicals with very long names but nicknamed "Hello" and "Goodbye" for their order of application. These chemical-cleaners apparently have toxic cleaning powers, frightening to behold and awe-inspiring to yield. Christy finally felt I was up to the very important task of disinfecting the entire kitchen, sinks, pots, tables, and my least favorite but doubtless important, the floor.

Another point of happiness in the day: one of the staffmembers asked me if it was alright she had put me down as a reference in a recent and highly desired job application. I feel quite honored--she's been at the cafe for years now and I'm but a newbie, but she esteems me that much!

Point of extreme discomfort: Cleaning out the take-out cup box in the pantry--an utter swarm of roaches flew/scrambled out at me from all over the box (which of course I had lifted from far over my head). Stifling a scream and backing out of the pantry quickly enough to almost trip over the mop-bucket, I found Christy and Mike and informed them of the situation. They asked me to go back and please put the box outside.

That meant touching it again.

In an inspired, rapid motion that either Superman or my cross-country coach would applaud, I had that box outside. Mission accomplished. Now to clean the pantry from inside to out, using plenty of H and G. They say where you see one roach, there are at least one hundred. Ugh.

After cleaning the five sinks, four bathrooms and 15 tables and give or take a few hundred pieces of silverware, the cafe is ready to go for tomorrow! I tell you what, it may sound masochistic or just pathetic, but working like that is an incredible feeling. Cleaning something that people will use, making it not only look nice but be safe and functional is a feeling of worth and competency that sometimes just gets lost in writing papers and studying books. I like the work, the activity, meeting 70-80 people with such fascinatingly different lives each day. And, of course, the fancy food. :)

Anyhow, my cafe day finished up around 3ish and I traveled to meet fellow Robbies Chetan and Kevin at the much-vaunted "Bodies" exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center. The exhibit's premise is this: roughly eight to ten human cadavers preserved in a corrosive mummification process, where the skin disintegrates away, revealing the amazing musculature, skeleton, and even blood vessel system. The exhibits were well-designed, clear, inevitably educational, and at times, very beautiful.

Thoughts:

It was nearly impossible to think of these mummified, rubbery skeletons as former people--they stopped looking real after a while, just like incredibly similar models.

Sometimes the exhibits made me think Wow, seems like all we humans are is just meat, but mostly And they say there isn't an intelligent designer? How is it possible for veins to have systems to stop blood from clotting and bone can heal itself and the brain to function so mysteriously? I would almost go to med school just to study the body--very cool.

Odd--most all the bodies we saw were male. Either females don't donate as much or don't present muscles and skeleton as well. The first females we saw were in the "Obesity" section. :( Why?!

Fond Fun Facts:

Axon cells are the longest cells in your body.

There are over 60 thousand miles of blood cells in a single human body.

Female brains constitute 2.5% of their bodies; male brains constitute 2% of their bodies.

Neuroelectric signals typically travel at 270 mph.

1 in 3 Americans are obese. :(

All the blood in your body travels through your heart at least once every minute!

Anyhow, if you'd like to go, it's a whopping $20 bucks for this educational and intriguing exploration. I tried to play the "I'm a poor volunteer and college student to boot" card, but those ticket-ladies are veterans of withholding discounts. Chetan, Kevin and I all joked (in front of her) we should just go back to the corporate world and forget this philanthropy folly, as the world just doesn't appreciate it anymore. Heh heh.

That's the end--more to my day, but it was mainly comprised of eggplant parmigiana, getting lost going to Ikea, Publix and Kroger, visiting with friends, watching a cheesy movie, and preparing for sleep...

Take care and God bless, everyone! World Cup's on tomorrow!

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