Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Tiny Table, Pho and Undercover Boss

I think I've been watching too many "Undercover Boss" episodes. I try to overlook the fact that successfully masking a CEO's identity wouldn't work every time, especially as the show becomes more popular. But, nevertheless, I think the show has some really solid values at its core and it gets me every time. By "gets me, I mean I am a sobbing, pre-natal mess. It is really something. So last night's "Choice Hotels" episode and the focus on immigrant workers and their awe-inspiring work ethic really got me thinking.

This morning, as I was leaving a pre-natal appointment with my dietician, I noticed a big group of picketers outside of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. I asked a woman nearby what all of the fuss was about. She told me that these people were angry because the EOHU has a bilingual hiring policy and they think it is discriminatory. I didn't get into it right there and then, but I tend to agree that the policy is somewhat discriminatory. In fact, most high-level public sector jobs in Ontario are stacked against uni-ligual Ontarians. Whether or not I think it's picket-worthy is another thing altogether. I didn't mention to the lady that I actually happened to be one of those people who applied for a communications job there but was not considered because of my lack of fluency in French. I guess it's par for the Ontario course.  No matter that I hold a Bachelor's degree from one of Canada's most prestigious schools, no matter that I've been writing (and published) since I was in high school or that I am comfortable on numerous multi-media platforms. It's all straw. My mama didn't raise parle-ing Francais (even though she is French through and through). One of the picketing signs said that only 4% of Ontario citizens were eligible for the jobs within the walls of the EOHU. If this is accurate, it really is unfortunate and I agree that the system does need some kind of overhaul. For example one person per staff (a linguist) responsible for translating while the other positions are based sheerly on ability and qualifications. Ah,well, c'est ca. In the meantime, what is the solution for exclusively-English-speaking go-getters who were not blessed enough to be born into a bilingual family? We need to work harder to secure work. We need to think about working minimum wage jobs (with hope for promotion) or look at entrepreneurial opportunities or, if all else fails, we need to hitch the next train out west. This is the Ontario work-force reality.

But, with that said, I've complained a little now it's time to move on.

I have a wonderful job! It's taking me a while to find my comfort level but I'm getting there. I made the big bad move into marketing and advertising. My new gig with the Local Seeker brings me everywhere and I meet some amazing people. So today, my work brought me to one of Cornwall's newest restaurant gems: "Tiny Table". For the good part of an hour, I got to sit with Obon, the owner, and feed off of her drive and all around passion for life.

Ubon, is the kind and vibrant wife in the husband-wife duo that has spearheaded this unique little resto. Being an immigrant from Thailand, she is used to EVERYTHING being stacked against her. She started at the very bottom here, worked several jobs simultaneously and polished her English (she speaks near-perfect English after 11 years here in Cornwall). She opened a highly-anticipated Thai restaurant and, after sinking her life's savings into the venture, had it prematurely fold as 4 other Thai restaurants simultaneously opened up in this too-small-to-be-a city city. So what did Ubon and her husband do? They picked up the pieces and saved up for another investment: a Vietnamese cuisine restaurant on 4th Street West in Cornwall. Their specialty? PHO! (You'll never look at soup the same way again).

I was so moved by her attention to detail, her resiliency and her optimism that I couldn't help to WILL myself to be more like her. When I commented on her amazing attitude, she turned to the Thai-inspired masks on the wall and said " I keep these masks here to remind me about the masks people wear." When I asked her to elaborate, she said that often times, people will treat you according to what you can do for them. She shared that being a visible minority and also a woman here gives her very little credibility here in Canada and people often write her off, assuming her to be unimportant. She said that once, she was showing an apartment on behalf of the landlord and the prospective tenants were incredibly disrespectful to her. They thought that since she couldn't possibly have the final word, so they could "take off their masks" with her and with that, she was "privileged" to witness their "mask-less" true colours. Little did they know of the level of decision-making power Obon had been given and just how deeply respected and trusted her perceptions were by the landlord. Masks. I told her it reminded me of a quotation I'd heard recently: "Our character is judged by the way we treat those who can do nothing for us." After quite a bit of talk along these lines, I asked her if she was familiar with Mother Teresa. Immediately, her eyes filled with tears. A light went on in my mind. Everything this woman had told me and demonstrated to me told me that she was a deeply spiritual person. Everything from the way she rose early to prepare the broth from scratch, "some businesses use Oxo cubes, but I don't want to feed my customers MSG or anything that is harmful to them- even if this way is harder", to the way she welcomed each new patron. She had mastered the "small things with great love" spirituality that was so perfectly embraced by Mother Teresa throughout her life.

We ended our meeting with a hug and the promise to connect again over  a bowl of Pho. I made a friend today and I learned so much more about life than I should be able to learn on a Wednesday afternoon at work. Oh, and I think I sold some ad space.