“What do you want?” the lady shouted. I desperately hoped she wasn’t speaking to me so I surreptitiously ignored her. But when the question was repeated, with increased fury in her voice and eyes, I knew it was my attention — or, more specifically, my sandwich order — in the spotlight. It was downtown Chicago on a busy Thursday lunchtime, and the lady in question was standing on a counter (yep, on a counter), some 30 feet in front of me, loudly asking for people’s food orders. Being shy and British, this way of ordering was an anathema to me…
This article appeared on Globe Soup in July 2020. To read the full piece please click here.