Column: Missoula's Dish

The Rule of Water

By Danielle Lattuga, 4-16-08

On the river, we can read it, but we can’t write it. In the ocean, we are rolled, pushed and carried by it, yet another story of the tide. We might be able to smell the rain when it is about to descend upon us, but we can’t make it, no matter how hard we might try.

To me, it’s a no-brainer. Customers should have water the moment they sit down at a table.  Here are a few reasons why:

1) People are rarely hydrated enough.

2) It gives them something to do while they are waiting—for their companions, for their food, for you to tell them specials . . .

3) If they get a tickle in their throat they’ve got something to clear it with.

4) If they burn their mouth, they’ve got something to cool it with.

5) If they need an excuse to leave, they can spill it all over themselves.

6) If they taste something weird (it’s possible) they can wash it away.

7) If they spill wine on their white blouse, they have something to use until you get your slow ass over to help them.

8) If they are hot, they can cool down.

9) If they need to throw something at their date, it is the easiest thing for you to clean up.

10) If they need to draw a circle on the tablecloth, they can use the base of the glass.

We in the Rocky Mountain West know that water is a precious and powerful commodity, so treat it with respect.

1) Serve it in a clean glass, so you don’t have to dump it out

2) Keep filling glasses until the end of the meal, then ask before filling, so a customer gets all they need, but none is wasted on them.

3) Pour it deliberately, so as not to splash and spill.

Our bodies are made (in part) of water. If you give someone a glass of water, you are honoring the raw elemental commonality among us. Isn’t that reason enough?

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.