Reader's Digest publishes a list of "Things ____ Won't Tell You...", which is a compilation of "insider secrets" from different "professionals" from various industries. Checking out some of the words of advice, they are often insightful, though some can be pretty icky and may make you think twice about letting other people handle any of your food.

From "13 Things Your Waiter Won't Tell You"

- There are almost never any sick days in the restaurant business. A busboy with a kid to support isn't going to stay home and miss out on $100 because he's got strep throat. And these are the people handling your food.

- When customers' dissatisfaction devolves into personal attacks, adulterating food or drink is a convenient way for servers to exact covert vengeance. Waiters can and do spit in people's food.

- Never, ever come in 15 minutes before closing time. The cooks are tired and will cook your dinner right away. So while you're chitchatting over salads, your entrées will be languishing under the heat lamp while the dishwasher is spraying industrial-strength, carcinogenic cleaning solvents in their immediate vicinity.

From "13 Things Your Pizza Guy Won't Tell You" and "17 More Things Your Pizza Guy Won't Tell You"

- If I drop your pizza on the way, sometimes I'll shake the box to get the cheese to slide back on right.

- I probably break a speeding law once a day.

- Many delivery drivers are teenage boys, and most parents don't like their teenage boys driving around at night in downpours or blizzards. Yet these same people have no qualms about having other teenage kids deliver their pizza in these conditions.

From "Secrets Your Doctor Would Never Share"
- I wish patients would take more responsibility for their own health and stop relying on me to bail them out of their own problems.

- One of the things that bug me is people who leave their cell phones on. I'm running on a very tight schedule, and I want to spend as much time with patients as I possibly can. Use that time to get the information and the process you need. Please don't answer the cell.

- Sometimes it's easier for a doctor to write a prescription for a medicine than to explain why the patient doesn't need it.

- Taking psychiatric drugs affects your insurability. If you take Prozac, it may be harder and more expensive for you to get life insurance, health insurance, or long-term-care insurance.

- In many hospitals, the length of the white coat is related to the length of training. Medical students wear the shortest coats.

- When a doctor tells you to lose 15 to 20 pounds, what he really means is you need to lose 50.

Labels: Tips