Reliving The Past

     When I was about 18, I had a job delivering Chinese food for a local restaurant, King Wah Gardens, in the neighbourhood that I grew up in in Toronto.  They provided the car (a VW Beetle) which became known as the "Wah Wagon".  I had great fun in that job - speeding through neighbourhood streets, earning tips, learning Mah Jongg and Chinese swear words from the staff and even getting robbed one time!  I worked that job for about 2 years until I began university.

     On Christmas Eve, after returning to Guelph from a family lunch gathering in Toronto, we did not feel much like preparing a dinner so we ordered from a local Chinese restaurant called Ray's.  As I waited to pick up my order, I could see how busy they were.  People who telephoned asking for delivery were being told that it would take from an hour-and-a-half to two hours.  I also overheard the manager telling a customer that as busy as it was this day, New Years' Eve would be even busier.  That got me thinking about my old job- why not offer my services to deliver food for New Years' Eve?  We had no real plans for that night anyway.  After all - at least I had 2 years of experience!

     I returned a couple of days later and offered to work for them on New Years' Eve and we were hired!   And so, on December 31, we reported for duty at 4:15.

The evening was clear with a full moon shining down on us.
It was not dark when we started out on our first delivery. 

Al was the driver and delivery person.
We used our travel food cooler on the warm setting
to keep the food warm. It worked well!

Bev was the navigator and kept track of the orders
and all the money. 

     We delivered 11 orders that evening (they had 2 other drivers) until 8:30 when they cashed us out.  All of the customers were friendly, understanding of the delays due to the volume of orders and most tipped well.  We netted about $30 per hour - not too shabby!  My one gripe, which used to bug me as a police officer too, is that most people, even though they are expecting a delivery, did not have an outside light on.  Most places do not have a very visible house number either.

On New Year's Day evening the sky was cloudy with the  moon peeking through.

     They obviously appreciated our services because we were asked back on New Years' Day.  That evening also went well, although we were only needed for 2 hours.  Both nights, they also gave us a meal of our choice to take home.  It was a nice gesture.  If they call to hire us again, we will likely do it if we have no conflicting plans. The manager of the restaurant is a young happy guy who treats his customers well. It was a pleasure to work with him and his staff.

     Although we did not do this lark for the money, it was a fun, somewhat spontaneous gesture and is the type of thing that can result in an unique experience like many of the things we have done while travelling the country.