"I have heard upscale adult U.S. citizens ask the ship’s Guest Relations Desk whether snorkeling necessitates getting wet, whether the trapshooting will be held outside, whether the crew sleeps on board, and what time the Midnight Buffet is."
An excerpt from David Foster Wallace's essay "Voluntarily and for Pay," about his experiences on a luxury cruise ship "so clean and white it looked boiled."
"A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again"
ReplyDeleteIf the judge gave me a choice I'd choose prison over a cruise.
ReplyDeletexoxoxoBruce
Having worked in the theme park industry in Florida (at two of the three major parks), I can confirm that one of the most common questions at Mouse Park is 'What time is the 3 o'clock parade?'. I've also been asked if you get wet on a ride with Splash in its name, and if we can turn off the rain.
ReplyDeleteYour posting had me read the book. The only two good stories were the one about the state fair and the cruise ship one; both have a 'On The Road" feel to them. The other stories? They seemed very re-iterating and without resolution? So glad to have skipped past them.
ReplyDeleteAn 8K+ word essay about "Something to Do with Paying Attention" by David Foster Wallace:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n14/patricia-lockwood/where-be-your-jibes-now Where be your jibes now? Patricia Lockwood