Bartendresses

[paulzjoh]

>Don't forget "bustroid"
>
>I don't know which I find more offensive, this or "waitron."
>
>JL
>
>
>"Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL> wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: "Mullins, Bill"
>Subject: Re: Bartendresses
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>I've heard "waitstaff" as a catch-all unisex term for waiters,
>waitresses, bartenders, etc.
>
>
>
>
>>BARTENDRESSES
>>
>>>From the "Ardent Spirits" newletter by Gary Regan:
>>
>>
>>Barmaids, Bartendresses, and Bar Bitches
>>
>>Our friend, Claudia C. F. Craig caused some controversy when,
>>as we reported in the last issue of Ardent Spirits, she wrote
>>to say that she was in favor of calling females who work
>>behind the stick "barmaids," as opposed to bartenders.
>>Not one of our readers who wrote in to comment agreed with
>>Claudia. Mind you, Claudia's used to that . . .
>>
>>First off we should explain the Bar Bitch term lest you're
>>getting irate: Gary was tending bar at a charity function at
>>Painter's Tavern in Cornwall-on-Hudson recently when he found
>>himself in the weeds in a big way. He looked to Pete
>>Buttiglieri, his buddy, and one of the owners of Painter's,
>>for help, and Pete dutifully went to work, grabbing a tray
>>full of clean glasses from the kitchen, and re-stocking the
>>glass shelves. He rolled his eyes at Gary, and muttered,
>>"Now that I'm officially your bar bitch . . . " So, we don't
>>think that Bar Bitch is a suitable term to use when referring
>>to a female bartender, but we do believe that it suits Peter to a T.
>>
>>Here's a look at what some of you wrote on the subject of barmaids:
>>
>>>From Philip Duff, Holland:
>>
>>"I'd go for bartender to describe a, er, bartender of either
>>gender. As well as being unisex, it also fits well with the
>>profession of "tending bar", and is universally understood,
>>something that can't be said for "barkeeper"(most Germanic
>>countries). To me personally, having lived in the UK,
>>"barman" or "barmaid" tends to be used to describe a fairly
>>untrained pub-standard bar worker, whereas "bartender" always
>>seemed to indicate a trained professional."
>>
>>Any bartenders in the U.K. care to comment?
>>
>>Nancy A. Breslow had pretty strong views on this subject,
>>too. Here's what she had to say:
>>
>>"Gary and Mardee: The idea of a female bartender being
>>called anything but a BARTENDER gives me the dry-heaves. If
>>I tend bar, I do the same job whether I've got the inny or
>>outy equipment between my legs. I don't care if some men
>>pine for the "Fly me" days; that's their problem. Would
>>Claudia want a woman flying the plane to be called a
>>pilotess? Ugh. From "maid" it's only a step or two to
>>"wench" and anyone calls me that is begging for a black eye. -Nancy-
>>
>>And speaking of wenches, Deven Black, an old friend, and
>>former manager of the North Star Pub in Manhattan wrote,
>>"Personally, I prefer serving wench." Don't get too upset at
>>Deven, we know him well enough to tell you for sure that
>>Deven had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he wrote that
>>one. If he was even half-way serious we're also sure that
>>Jill, his ever patient wife, would whip him soundly.
>>
>>A certain woman by the name of Brenda wrote to say that she
>>didn't mind being called a bartender, a barmaid, or even
>>"sweety hon," but she added that her customers seldom had to
>>call her anything at all since she gets the drinks out before
>>they have to ask. And finally, a reader who signed his
>>e-mail "Jeffrey"
>>suggested that we start using the word "bartendress" when
>>referring to female bartenders.
>>
>>The vast majority of you, though, think that "bartender" is a
>>good unisex term that should be employed when referring to
>>bartenders of either sex. Sorry, Claudia.
>>
>>
>>
>
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