Reputation

I don't often sit down to wonder what it is that people think of me. To be quite frank, I'm not too incredibly concerned with it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gallivanting around town making enemies and burning bridges, I just don't sit around and think to myself, "Gee whiz, I hope they like me." .

Recently, I've been hearing a couple of the same questions again and again, which got me thinking. That must say something about what folks think of me. If a diverse collection of my friends and associates are coming with the same inquiries then clearly there are specific compartments that folks associate with me. Which can be funny when you sit down to really think about it. Try it, sit down and consider, 1. What is it people ask/talk/connect with you about, 2. What do you think that says about you?

The two questions I hear most often, are you ready for it?

1. At least weekly, if not more:  "Where should I go~date night, family in town, bored of your favorite~brunch, lunch, dinner, soups, brews, juices, vegan, burger~in other words where are the good places to eat and or drink?" Does this surprise me? No, my job after all revolves around either eating and writing about food or serving food so if there is anything I'm familiar with it's probably food.  Does this contribute to my pillow-y like mom figure. You betcha. That and my aversion to the gym. Speaking of the gym, has anyone else noticed how stinky the Morgan Family YMCA is? Like, Bog of Eternal Stench quality stank. But I digress.

2. Asked far less often because, duh, only former coworkers can make such a request: "I'm looking for a job. Can I put you down as a reference?" Now, to be fair I have LOADS of coworkers. Not necessarily because I can't keep a job but because I have a habit of keeping several at the same time and in the service industry I tend to move on within a two year period. It keeps me from becoming complacent and unhappy. My job is to provide a pleasant experience, the last thing you want is an unhappy, complacent server.

So what do I think these things say about me?
Well........

I'm loyal and posses  a iron clad work ethic that is equally applied to paid positions as it is those with those with no promises of monetary compensation. If I commit, you can bet it's going to be done. This makes me appear as responsible (I mean, I totally am) and therefor a good reference on a job application.
I can be agreeable at times and also brutally honest, maybe that makes me trustworthy, at least on the most superficial of levels.
I am an open book.
And I like to eat.
That's just my biased translation.

Questions I don't anticipate in the near future:
"How do you get some epic abs?"
"Do you give make up tutorials?"
"Do you want to come clean my house too?"

Okay, your turn. What are the two questions you hear most?