The (Agonising) Interviews

Remember when I said in one of my post that our cook was quit, as he wanted to continue his study in Law? It has been 2 weeks, now and we are still looking the new one. And it is not easy. Especially, for a new place like ours that has to stand tall in the crowds of other cafes in Denpasar city. This morning, although it is Saturday, what came to my head as the first light is we haven’t got any cook for our cafe.

Most of the candidates would say, “What? It is in Kereneng area? I thought it is in Kuta.” Although we were talking on the phone. I can hear their disappointment clearly, as if my café’s location has brought misery to their life. As in Indonesian proverb say: rambut boleh sama hitam, tapi pikiran siapa tahu (people’s hair can be the same colour of black, but nobody could predict the thoughts inside).

Here are some of the unpredictable thoughts of the candidates that are spoken out loud, either face to face or by phone.

The Interview 1

Interviewer: Can you make pancake?
Candidate: Er…
Interviewer: I said, can you make pancake?
Candidate: It is the same with cooking eggs.
Interviewer: The answer is yes or no?
Candidate:….

The Interview 2

FYI (For Your Information), the candidate said that he had an experience as a cook in a restaurant in Lombok island.

Interviewer: What food you made in your former job?
Candidate: Hot food.
Interviewer: OK. What hot food?
Candidate: Western food.
Interviewer: What kind of Western food?
Candidate: Tom Yum.
Interviewer:….

The Interview 3

Interviewer: Do you have any experience in cooking?
Candidate: No. I don’t.
Interviewer: It’s OK. We will teach how to cook.
Candidate: But, I’m afraid. I cannot.
Interviewer (almost desperate): We will teach how to cook. You can learn here.
Candidate: No. No. I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think…
And the mobile phone was off. Guess who ended the conversation.

After what seemed to be an interview with a positive result, the candidate didn’t come at the promised hour around 18.00. We (I and my niece) waited for him 2 hours! And no single creature of God’s creation that we recognized as human showed up. So, I decided to call him.

Me: Why you didn’t come?
Candidate: I’m sorry. I cancelled it.
Me: And the reason is…
Candidate: When I said to our HRD that I wanted to quit because you will give me higher salary. They decided to raise my salary. So, I cancel my intention to work at your café.
Me:…

My niece and the bartender (thanks God, we are still hiring him) said, that is PHP. What is PHP I asked these young generations. That is what the (Indonesian) teens said to Pemberi Harapan Palsu (a person who gives fake hope). Right. PHP. And we have to deal with a lot of them.

Fake hope or not. We still have our faith. A new cook will come and work with us. That together as a team we will make our maca (mart and café) grow in the jungle of food business.