Lust in LA

1

Let me start off by saying it wasn't always like this.

Everything was fine until recently; but before I get ahead of myself, the first thing you should know is that I moved out here to LA about 5 months ago with my long-term boyfriend Josh.

I consider us "long-term" because we've been dating on and off since we were 16.

We would always break up over small things, then get back together again; probably because we never took our relationship seriously.

Now that he's 20 and I'm 19, we decided it was time to grow up a little and cut the shit.
So here we were, a year without separation, moving into our little Koreatown studio in Southern California.

Settling in didn't take long since we barely brought anything with us from New York. We had a budget to work with and an excess of flight luggage was not in it. Flying from the East Coast is expensive enough.

Oh and before you jump to any conclusions, no, we aren't from The Big Apple or "the city that never sleeps" as some may call it. Josh and I grew up in the suburbs of upstate NY in a city called Amsterdam. There isn't much to do there, the weed is crap, and it always sleeps.

So after high school, we decided it was time to ditch that dump and leave for the other side of the country.
Besides, we didn't want to get stuck there for the rest of our lives like everyone else I know.

Of course, New York City would've been a great and much closer alternative; but there was just something about the warm sun and palms trees that drew me here instead. Josh too.

Fast-forward to present day, Josh landed himself a job at a 24 hour burger joint a few blocks from our place and I, on the other hand, found a job at a café in Downtown LA.

Now this isn't just an ordinary café where people come and go to get their coffee, though they do that too; LaLa Lust is infamous for their fresh strawberry soda, all in-house made.

There's nothing special about it except for the fact that people can't figure out how to make it themselves. So to the streets they flock, forming a line from the register to right out the door.

But besides the coffee, one of a kind strawberry goodness, and other drinks, we also sell food.
Great food, might I add.

The café has a sort of upscale, gaudy theme so the food has to fit the aesthetic.
Keeping this in mind, we have beautifully designed rice bowls along with soups, salads, and desserts. Definitely picture worthy (just ask Instagram).

My job, as well as the other 4 servers jobs, is to make the drinks, serve the food, and work the counter.
It seems easy enough on paper until you have half of LA waiting for you to satisfy their sugary needs.

Behind our blenders and espresso machines, stands a wall to separate us servers from the hard work being done in the kitchen.
It's only through a large window which we receive the food from, that you can see all 3 chefs (and 2 dishwashers) dishing out meal after meal like there's no tomorrow.

You gotta give them props though, the pace they go at for 4 hours straight until down time is pretty damn impressive.
That's one of the things that make me wish I worked back there sometimes.

The other reason I wish to be back there, the real reason, is one of the chefs.

Allow me to reiterate when I say it wasn't always like this.

My first 3 months working here were great.
I've always been one for a fast paced work environment, always putting me to the test and keeping me on my toes.
Memorizing all the recipes, how to take orders, and practicing the ways of a Lala Lust employee were my main focus when I first got here.
I was also extremely intimidated by our manager Jess (still am); she seems to take soda as a very serious matter.