Bad restaurant etiquette – no personal grooming!

Saturday was my birthday and I wanted to have breakfast at a favorite “feel good” spot – Cafe Campagne. my partner, Rolland, and I were enjoying our meal, and because of the intimacy of the cafe, it was hard to miss that the couple next to us had finished breakfast and were preparing to leave. the female in the party put her purse on the table and pulled out a small compact to do a quick nose powder and reapply lipstick. then she pulled out a small bottle, dabbed the liquid on her finger and began applying under-eye concealer. She dug around in her purse and pulled out another bottle and spritzed herself with perfume. Back into the purse again, and this time she pulled out an eyelash curler and started crimping away. She announced to her companion “All finished!” and they left their table, as if no meal was complete without this personal grooming ritual. the woman was attractive, well dressed and thought she looked like a million bucks, but all I could think was YUCK.
I’ve worked as a cook, busboy, server and cashier in restaurants and coffee shops since I was a teenager, and I’m always amazed at the strange, disgusting and unsanitary habits people think are perfectly acceptable to perform in public instead of in their own home or bathroom where they really belong. I don’t really have a problem with the quick powder and lip check, but more than that should not take place at the table. I’ve seen men and women comb their hair, file and/or clip their nails, floss their teeth, attack zits and pick their noses, all at the “privacy” of their table (or sitting next to me on the bus or an airplane). I understand that diabetics need to take insulin shots around meal times (I live with one), but do you need to leave your used needle on the table for me to clear, or worse yet, wrapped in a napkin so when I clear the table I don’t know it’s there and get poked with it?
As a cashier, I’ve found it equally disgusting to have people fumble around in their pockets, purses or wallets apparently locating money to pay their tab, only to be rewarded with a handful of used kleenex, gum wrappers, old receipts and other flotsam and a “Could you get rid of this for me?” as if I really wanted to handle the icky junk that they’re only too happy to be rid of themselves. then there are the active, sporty types who are making a quick stop for something to drink, and not wanting to be weighed down with a wallet, have tucked their money into their sock, underwear or bra. they pull out their bills, soggy with sweat, and hand it to me to touch like it’s no big deal. Really? What are you thinking?
It’s kind of like when I see a woman in public with curlers in her hair. OK, you are already out in the world and people can SEE YOU – where else could you possibly have to go that is more important? are you having dinner with the Queen at Buckingham Palace? I CAN SEE YOU sitting next to me in the restaurant using your eyelash curler, nail file and hair brush, and we are not amused…..