Yep. You read that right. Beer.
I enjoy a good beer. This was not always so. In my attempt to make money to do the Camino I had to take on some extra jobs. One of them was, as mentioned in a previous post, as a cocktail waitress at the Foundry in Kansas City. The Foundry is a beer bar. It is attached to McCoy's Brewhouse in the Westport district of Kansas City, and as can be inferred by the name, McCoy's is a brewery. They had their own line of microbrews as well as carrying TONS of other types of beer. There were so many types, in fact, that it was mandatory to do at least 2 beer tastings a month (out of the 4 offered). We had to go to the bar, get out our beer manuals, and taste about 6 different beers per tasting, then talk about them. It was nothing short of amazing.
Before this experience, I thought beer was yucky and that all beer tasted the same. Totally false. Shortly after starting at the Foundry I realized that beer is just like wine in that there are a ton of variables that can make one taste totally different from another. I for real tasted one that was EXACTLY like a ham sandwich...so weird! These tastings weren't just fun though, they were super informative and really actually helped me to sell more beer. I was more knowledgeable about the different types and could give informed suggestions to the customers.
One night I had a table of 4 people - 3 men and 1 woman - who were in Kansas City on business. They told me to bring them a bottle of whatever I wanted. I was relatively new at the time so I asked my beer goddess of a manager (seriously, she knew EVERYTHING about beer), what I should do. She made a suggestion and went with me to the table, showed them the bottle and explained what kind of beer it was and why it was special. They then asked where our tasting glasses were and she sent me to the bar to get them, so we sat at my table and drank with them. (At this point I feel it important to include that we had a special beer fridge for the "fancy" beers which come in champagne sized bottles, and this is, of course, where we were getting the beer for these customers.) When that bottle was finished they asked for another. Then another. And another...I think by the end of the night they had maybe 7 different kinds. Which meant so did I. My manager told me to go ahead and comp a couple of their bottles just because she was nice like that, so I did, and their total ended up being like $125. Well, when all was said and done, they tipped me $105!!! I was so excited I peed a little. It was one of the funnest nights I've ever had, and I was working...and I was learning.
Beer is also what cemented the bond between me and my neighbors in Wichita. Growing up, a guy a couple houses down always worked a weird shift and would sit out in his driveway and drink beer all afternoon when he got home. He's married, a couple years older than my mom, is a Harley driver, and basically awesome. I always thought it was so cool that he would just sit in the driveway and drink beer, totally carefree, everyday. Eventually I thought it was so cool that I longed to turn 21 just to be able to sit in the driveway with him and knock a few back. And as soon as I turned 21, that's just what I did. And it was even more delightful than I had imagined. And it became our thing. Whenever I would head home to Wichita on the weekends I'd make sure and have some driveway time with Brian. He became my BFF (beer friend forever). We'd just sit and drink and talk. Most times other neighbors or my mom would come join us. When my brother turned 21 last year, he carried the tradition on and now he gets to sit in the driveway. It's another one of the things I miss most about home.
Today I went to hear a lecture at the university my boss teaches at on Fridays. The lecture was by Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee. While the lecture itself was interesting, the thing that stuck out to me the most was that one of the professors got up at the end of the presentation and announced that there was beer waiting outside for all the students and staff. What?! On campus? And at a private, opus dei university? It was crazy! So we all headed outside, and my boss asked me if I wanted one, and I did, so I had one. So at 6pm today I was out in the beautiful sunshine, on a beautiful university campus, hobnobbing with important architects, drinking beer, all while on the clock. Glorious.
Beer brings people together. Beer is a culture all its own. Beer is refreshing on a hot day. So yes, I like and am thankful for beer.
No picture again. I'm giving up on that. I'll add them when I can and won't stress when I can't. Sorry.
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