120
MLCM
FALL/WINTER2016
A SLICEOFLIFE
By JonathanBaum
Life in themountains isdifferent than in thehustle
andbustleof astandardmetropolis.Where‘normal’
peopleaim for acareer thatprovidessecurity,
benefitsandopportunity forgrowth,Whistler’s
dream job isone thatpayswell anddoesn’tmess
withyour shredschedule.Which iswhymanypro
snowboardersover theyearshave taken toslanging
pies in theevenings. PizzaDeliveryGuy isasolid
careeroption in themountains; itmight evenbe the
bestgiggoing.
Tofindout, I pickedupa fewdrivingshiftsand
spoke tosome legendsof thedeliverygame to learn
moreabouthowpizzagrease lubes themachine that
runsourmountain town.
THE PERFECT IMAGE
I showed up tomy first shift dressed in the
image I have associated with pizza delivery
drivers inWhistler—jeans, backwards
hat, unshaven face and an ‘eat-my-shorts’
demeanour. But an overly peppy lady who
introduced herself as the new general manager
was critical of my appearance and gaveme a
uniformwith clear instructions to tuck in, shave,
and fix my attitude. I learned that the corporate
overlords sent her toWhistler to fix what they
perceive as an image problemwith the staff. The
uniform is a representation of the company and
the company likes perfect brand consistency.
What the executives can’t seem to understand
is that the ‘perfect’ image in Toronto or New
York is not the perfect image inWhistler. When
a customer orders a hot pizza on a cold winter
night, they expect a skiddy snowboarder they can
invite in for a bong rip, not some nerdy extension
of a multi-national pizza corporation. Up here,
putting on a branded uniform symbolizes an
act of obedience, a loss of individuality, and a
demonstration of loyalty to the corporation. Not
exactly what this town is built on.
This clash with corporate is nothing new
though. Long-time local Andrew Burns staged a
delivery for a TV interview spotlighting his life
THEHIGHSANDLOWSOFDELIVERINGPIZZAS INWHISTLER
DAVEBARNES ILLUSTRATIONS
FOOD
