As I've mentioned before, and as anyone who knows me knows, I am addicted to chicken. So I'm sure it comes as no surprise that as soon as I moved to Orlando and discovered the wonders of Chick-Fil-A (we don't have these in Missouri), I became instantly hooked. It's killing me financially, but I go all the time. It's like sometimes I just wake up as if from a trance and don't know where I've been for the past hour, but I have a Chick-Fil-A bag in my lap and a Diet Dr. Pepper in a styrofoam cup in my cupholder.
Living in central Florida, you see some pretty unusual things and experience a lot of colorful characters. This is not to say that other places don't have interesting people, but the locals certainly seem particularly outlandish here. For me, Chick-Fil-A especially has provided the backdrop for several truly unforgettable encounters. I'm sure some of these folks will come up in later posts, but today I'm focusing on a more subtle observation I made yesterday.
So I'm driving home from Target and I have one of my weird lapses and before I know it, I've ordered a Number 3 Combo and I'm waiting in the drive-through line to pick it up. Chick-Fil-A seems to be especially busy today. It's usually a pretty hoppin' joint, but today, it's just packed. The line is very long. I have a bit of a wait ahead of me.
So I'm sitting there in my car, jamming out to The B-52's, watching people enter and exit the restaurant. Then the employee entrance door opens and a young, slim, black man emerges to take some trash to the dumpster, which is on the other side of the parking lot. (Note: this story has nothing to do with race, but I just thought I'd provide at least a little bit of detail.) Nothing seems unusual here until I notice that this man is wearing a hairnet. Now I understand that it is required of all employees in any restaurant kitchen to wear a hairnet, for reasons I completely agree with. I don't need to pull anyone's hair out of my mouth after chewing a handful of waffle fries. The thing that gets me is that this man is completely bald. Not a single hair on his head, save for his eyebrows, which are generally not covered by hairnets anyway.
Then I think to myself: Why did they make this man wear a hairnet? Were they afraid his hair would escape? Did they think his smooth scalp would flake into the boiling grease? If this is the case, then why aren't all fast food employees required to wear full-body latex suits and masks? This just seems like a harsh formality to me. Here, this guy's already bald, but let's slap a hairnet right on there in case anyone hadn't noticed he has no hair. Let's really play up the "bald" angle. Besides, the net will also cut some of that shine you get from that sleek dome of his.
Now he might have just been wearing it out of respect for policy. Maybe someone called him out on not wearing it earlier. Maybe there's actually a logical health code reason for requiring him to wear it. Maybe it was a fashion statement. I am fairly certain that only he knows for sure, but I know that if I am ever completely bald and working in fast food, I will put up a fight when they tell me to cover my bare scalp. Besides, that's one more hairnet for someone else. In this economy, I'm sure we don't need to be spending money on unnecessary hairnets.
Either way, I wish Chick-Fil-A was still open right now. Hmph.
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