The C Word

It is too easy for us to criticise and we avail ourselves of the facility too often. Nothing is easier, or more receptive to an audience, than railing against Asian drivers, slipping standards of service, central and local government, this year’s Halberg Awards presentation and everything else that sticks in our collective gullets. I am guilty of it; you are guilty of it. To be fair to us both, most of our criticism is justified and formed from anecdotal evidence. There is also nothing wrong with it; criticism can bring change and is second only to humiliation in its faculty to do so. Which is perhaps why, in my recent experience, standards of service are actually rising. Yes, I admit to a gross over-generalisation here, but of late I have had some outstanding service in restaurants and shops. Most surprisingly, most of it has come from young people. My previous experience has been that young people have been surly, uninterested and in some cases outright rude. Many may well still be, but they seem to fewer and the young people I am lauding are bright, attentive, knowledgeable and natural. Why is this? Are they better trained? Is the employment market more competitive? Are we and they more exposed to overseas standards of service? Or is it simply that our collective criticism has at last had an effect? I am certainly not qualified to give an answer, nor am I particularly interested in finding one. I am simply content with the (now) better than average prospect of walking into a New Zealand restaurant or shop and having an enjoyable experience.

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