My First Day at the Noodle Shop

Yuriko Matsuda
Japan
ESOL 400
Fall 2007

I was a high school student when the computer became affordable, yet expensive, for the ordinary family. Believe it or not, the price for a Macintosh computer, which came with a black and white screen, was nearly $7,000.00. Because I was full of curiosity about the new technology, I wanted to use it. I coaxed my parents into buying it, with the excuse that I was tired of writing essays with a typewriter. (It was not a lie since it caused frustration when I had to correct even a tiny mistake.) My father was also interested in the new technology, so he agreed to pay half the price. I thought it was a fair deal. Therefore, I decided to take a part-time job.

The next day, I looked through the newspaper advertisement page.
“Waitress wanted! $4.00/hr.+tips.”
It was an ad from the Japanese noodle shop in my neighborhood.
“2 to 3 days a week.” Check.
“Students okay.” Check.

All right. I called and made an appointment for an interview. That was easy, I thought.

However, when I went to the noodle shop for an interview, suddenly I was scared. It was dark inside and the red sign on the door said “CLOSED.” The shop seemed to be rejecting me. I walked nervously to the door. I wished it was locked so I had an excuse to go home. Unfortunately, it was unlocked. The door felt so heavy because anxiety and fear were pulling me back. A lady came out from the back and greeted me without a smile. I asked for the owner. “I am the owner.” she replied, again without a smile. I got tense. “Oh, no, one strike,” I murmured.
We sat together at the corner table. With a sharp glare, the owner asked, “Why do you want to work?”

I couldn’t tell the truth because it was that I would quit after I earned enough. I said, “I have never worked before. I want to start gaining some work experience with a part-time job.”
Suddenly, the owner’s face changed. With her squeaking voice she said, “I don’t like to distinguish jobs as part-time or full-time because what you do is the same: work seriously! Don’t even think that a part-time job is easier! Also, don’t expect me to be soft on a student. You will be treated the same as the full-time workers.”

I was stunned. What discipline for a $4.00/hr. job! “Two strikes,” I murmured again. I would be out with one more strike. However, I was accepted somehow. She told me to start working 5 days a week since I needed a lot of training. I couldn’t talk back to her. “Yes, Madame.” That was all I could say.

My busy days started. I woke up 6:00 am for pep band practice and took 7 classes, followed by cross country practice, which finished at nearly 5:00 pm. I went to the noodle shop directly from school and finished working around 10:00. Finally, I started doing homework, which usually lasted until 1:00 or 2:00 am. In a few months, I was so tired that my mother had to scream out loud to wake me up every morning.

Since I worked 5 days a week, I earned enough to buy a computer in less than 6 months. My mother wanted me to quit. There were no reasons to stay. However, I did not quit. Because of the money? It was partly true. I earned a lot with tips. However, I did not quit because I couldn’t let the owner think that I was running away. I wanted to quit after the owner admitted that I was a valuable worker. I was still treated as a trainee, so the owner was shrieking all the time:

“Don’t you know how to speak polite Japanese?!”
“Open your eyes! There are empty water glasses in front of the guests!”

“Yes, Madame,” said I, and followed her instructions. I was her slave. “Some day,” I kept telling myself, “some day, she will consider me as a worker.”

One night, however, nearly one year later, I heard what I wanted to hear.
“Hey! You didn’t. . .oh, never mind.”
I had already done what she wanted me to do. After the same thing happened several times, she stopped shrieking at me. I was finally recognized as a valuable worker!

A few months later, I quit. It was not revenge. There was no bitterness inside my heart. In fact, I was thankful to her that I had gained self-confidence. I still remember what she said when I was leaving.

“You did great. I was amazed that you suffered my strict training. Thank you.”

The owner changed me from an inconsiderate young girl to something better. It was a $4.00/hr. job, but I earned a lot more than the money and the computer.

Since my first job, any job now seems to be easy and decent. Fortunately, I am usually pleased by how I work. However, it is also unfortunate that I can’t ever take it easy when I work.