Show No Time TillIe To Learn Others Business By FLORENCE BITTNER Ours is a society of specialists specialists specialists there simply isn't time to learn about the theother theother other mans man's business because your own is changing so fast you cant can't keep up I KNOW a man mana who ho Ms is isa a chef trained i il i Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Switzer Switzer- land where a six year apprenticeship apprenticeship ap ap- ap- ap is required in inthe inthe inthe the school of oC a chef He deplores the standard American American American Amer Amer- ican restaurant menus which always ys include potatoes either cither mashed French fried Cried or or r baked and always the gravy comes out of oC the same pot pol He said he knows 23 different different different dif dif- ferent ways to prepare potatoes potatoes potatoes po po- po- po and each must have its own sauce and for Cor some meals potatoes are an in in- sult suit ONE EVENING after he had entertained us royally with boned pork loin a sauce of oC tomatoes and herbs and little potato pillows I ask asked d how he cooked the potatoes All I got was a alook alook alook look and a change of oC sub sub- Then I remembered its it's considered bad manners to ask a chef cheC for Cor a recipe Most Americans are fairly knowledgeable about doctors We know a heart specialist treats heart disease and no would ask him to remove a bunion but we dont don't hesitate hesitate hesitate hesi hesi- tate to ask a corporation lawyer to probate Aunt Minnie's Minnies Minnies Minnie's Min Min- nies nie's will wiIl SALLY CALLED on the phone yesterday fuming Cuming and feeling misunderstood I asked a contractor if he would make my house more like yours and he gave me methe methe methe the snippiest answer He said Not without moving a lot of oC yours walls-yours and your our neighbors' neighbors I dont don't even think he even tried to figure out what I want Sally wasn't the first of oC my friends to want to duplicate duplicate duplicate dup dup- licate my house since weve we've remodelled and expanded it but her lack of oC comprehension sion of what's involved brought to mind the old jokes about the woman having having having hav hav- ing a house built who changed her mind every few minutes then couldn't afford the house when it was was fin fin- CONSIDERING the amount of oC reading people do it is surprising how little most know about how printing gets getson on paper or plastic fabric Cabric or grocery packages Look Lookaround Lookaround Lookaround around and notice how many articles have printing on them and think for Cor a minute that each one has been through a printing press Mr B. B is a printer so we frequently laugh at our dinner dinner dinner din din- ner table about the lady who calls cans to say I HI have this beautiful old book which Id I'd like to have copied How much would it cost to have just one copy printed USUALLY a shocked si silence silence silence si- si lence follows Mr Bs B's patient answer How does 1000 sound for Cor openers What she doesn't understand understand understand under under- stand is that it is the first book which costs all an the money The second book may cost only 15 PRINTERS learn to be patient with the committee committeewomen committeewomen committeewomen women who call to say How much to have our program printed though Mr Bs B's standard answer is apt to tobe tobe tobe be How long is a piece of oC string My father was a mechanic ic so you'd think Id I'd have some conception of oC what mechanics do when they get personal with the insides insides insides in- in sides of oC machines with their wrenches but I haven't the foggiest SOMEDAY SOl Y the mechanic who takes care of my caris car caris caris is going to belt me with witha a wrench He has a pained look every time I drive in and I suspect it is because I am convinced machines hate me It growled at me this morning and I know it will bite me the first chance it gets so I dont don't dare lift the lid ITS LOW slon fluid You should have that checked every so often Well Wen I can see how that might hurt but it needn't get so grouchy about it Im I'm really reany very good to it-I it feed it prodigiously barrels of gas and oil I keep its tires nice and round I wash it and polish it and clean its insides insides insides in- in sides so I dont don't know why it doesn't like me ABOUT THAT time Nick begins to mutter under his breath and Car and I drive away but he doesn't know what I know about the machines machines machines ma ma- chines around my house They're biding their time I depend upon mechanics and repairmen but I suspect suspect suspect sus sus- they're in on the con con- THE LIST of occupations we dont don't understand is as long as the list of oC My daughter is a speech therapist and I have thought all an these years I understood language but I Isee Isee Isee see her listening to the way people talk the same way Mr B looks at a piece of oC printing Im I'm seeing and hearing language they're understanding techniques and none of us is getting the same message And its it's going to get worse As our society becomes increasingly increasingly increasingly in in- complex were we're all going to be forced to to concentrating know more about less and less until ours will be a society of specialists in nothing at all |