Dan's Papers - October 19, 2007

Being an Englishman definitely has its advantages out here. Something about the accent just seems to work in my favor. Women tend to be friendlier towards me, but on the other hand, the guys immediately have a chip on their shoulder -- they assume I'm here to steal their women. Maybe true, but beside the point. It has also been invaluable in getting a job. Apparently having a multi-cultural staff that's not Irish is a big bonus out here, and my presence if I can keep up good appearances is a benefit to my employers.

It's a funny twist of events, because back home there is a prejudice against Americans. If they seat themselves at your bar, the stereotype of loud, drunk idiots who can't hold their alcohol immediately sets in. Even though the British people on either side of you happen to be loud, drunk idiots as well.

One thing I noticed quickly when working at bars back home is the striking difference in attitude between the English and the Americans. The Americans will be loud and possibly obnoxious in getting what they want. But they know exactly what they like, how they like it, and are willing to pay to get it. The English, on the other hand, will stand quietly waiting for a drink until a certain point when they snap, scream abuse at a bartender and get hit back with "That's it mate, you've had too much. I'm not serving you anymore."

I work in bars because I love the "scene" - the party culture, the nightlife people. And as a bartender, I'm EVERYBODY'S best friend. However, there is no money to be made doing it in England. If a drink costs $4.95 in England they will take the 5 cents back. In a four-night week, working thirty-six hours, I would be lucky to walk away with $60 in tips.

That is why I came out to the Hamptons. Americans literally throw money at the bartenders. It's crazy. I work five days and six nights a week, and it would actually be difficult to spend all the money I make in tips. I'm not trying to boast, I simply need to vent my shock and surprise. People told me you could make more money out in America, but I'm making more in a day than I could in a week back home.

As many people on the East End have noticed, there is a huge Irish contingency, strong enough in Montauk to rival it for the tirty-tird county. Yet, when they want a drink - who am I kidding, they always want a drink - it's business as usual. A dozen Irish guys could stand at your bar, order three drinks a piece, and you'd be lucky to get a $5 tip in total. I'm not saying they're cheap bastards, more that it's the culture they're used to. Drinks are so expensive back home that tipping is an impossible expense.

I was always curious as to why people came out to the Hamptons. I have always had family out here, hence the draw. One friend of mine, Fionn, who currently works at the East Hampton Point, told me of his grand scheme. "I heard about the Hamptons from some mates of mine back home, so a group of us bought tickets and flew out here." They landed at JFK with no jobs, no place to stay and just worked it out from there. On the other hand, Sasha, a hitchhiker from the Ukraine, told me how he came here through an organization set up by his university. He chose the country, they picked the Hamptons and set him up with a job and a place to stay. While Fionn confided that it was tough for him to save money because he would drink it all away during the course of the late night party scene, Sasha raved about the money he was saving and how it would help him open up his own business back home.

While nobody really had a definitive answer to my question of why the Hamptons, I can safely say not one person I've met has had a bad thing to say about their time spent in one of the planet's most upscale neighborhoods.