英语书籍：Soup（2）节选

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SOUP: A RECIPE TO NOURISH YOUR TEAM AND CULTURE by Jon Gordon (ZT)

Nancy noticed a long line of people at the end of the street, and
as she and Brenda approached, they realized that these people were
waiting to eat at a restaurant. Brenda looked up and read the sign
on the building:

"Let's eat here," Brenda said.

"Are you serious?" replied Nancy. "We make soup. We live and
breathe soup. We are surrounded by soup every day of our lives. Do
you think I really want to eat soup for lunch? I've had enough
soup."

"Oh, come on," Brenda said. "Where else are we going to eat? And
besides, look at this line. It's almost 1:30 and the place is still
packed. It must be good. Plus, they probably have sandwiches and
salads, too."

"Fine," Nancy said, realizing that her hunger was getting the best
of her. "But if it's not good, you're buying the burritos
tomorrow."

"Deal," Brenda replied.


CHAPTER TWO
Grandma's Soup House

The lunch line moved quickly, and before long they were ordering
from a cute young lady who stood behind the counter. It was one of
those fast, casual places where you place your order, receive a
number, and wait at your table for someone to bring the food. The
good news was that the place was clean, the people were nice, and
the smell was amazing. The bad news for Nancy, however, was that
they didn't serve sandwiches, wraps, or salads. In fact, they didn't
serve anything except soup and bread.

"Just great," Nancy thought, as she and Brenda ordered their soup
and were handed an empty plastic soup bowl with their order number
on it. The person working at the cash register told them to simply
place the soup bowl at the edge of the table, with the number
facing outward, and someone would bring their soup shortly.

In most restaurants, when they say the food will be out "shortly,"
it usually means a wait of 15 to 20 minutes. But in this case, the
register person meant it. Within two minutes, a good-looking
twenty something with dark hair and blue eyes delivered their soup
and bread with a big smile and a warm welcome.

"Have you been to Grandma's Soup House before? You look very
familiar," he said as he stared at Nancy. He knew he had seen her
somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place where.

"No, this is our first time," Brenda answered. "We sort of found it
by accident."

"Well, I'm glad you did. My name is Peter. Just let me know if you
need anything. I hope you enjoy the soup," he said before walking
back to the kitchen.

"I'm sure we will," Brenda said as she smirked at Nancy, who ate
her first spoonful.

The smell should have warned her. This was no ordinary soup. It was
the best soup she had ever tasted.

"Well?" Brenda said, waiting for the verdict.

"Wow. I'm shocked," Nancy said, as Brenda also tried the soup.

"Yep, looks like I won't be buying burritos tomorrow," Brenda
quipped.

"No, you certainly won't," Nancy countered as she attacked her soup
with hunger and delight, savoring every bite. The soup was so good
that Brenda and Nancy ignored each other until every drop was gone.
They even wiped the bowl with their bread, hoping to savor the
taste a little longer.

"You must have been hungry," Peter said as he approached the table
with a big smile. "Did you enjoy the soup?"

"We loved it, as you can tell," Brenda said.

"Best soup I've ever had. What's the secret?" Nancy asked.

"My grandmother. She makes the soup every day."

"So, there 'is' a real grandma behind Grandma's Soup House," Nancy
said, nodding her head. "I like that. I thought the name was just
some warm-and-fuzzy marketing ploy and Grandma was likely a
50-year-old bald guy with a mustache who smoked cigarettes in the
kitchen while heating soup from a can."

"Oh, no," Peter replied. "Grandma is very real, and she's the
reason I work here. I got my MBA from Cornell University, and just
as I was graduating, she asked me to open this soup house with her.
Fifty-fifty partners. I always thought I would go to work for some
big company or head to Wall Street after business school. I was
recruited by a number of Fortune 500 companies who wanted to
develop me in their leadership programs but I found myself here,
and I don't regret it one bit. In fact, I've learned more in the
first six months working here than in all my years of schooling.
Grandma is one smart lady. She knows more about business than you
would think. In fact, she's in the kitchen. Would you like to meet
her? You'll see how real she is."
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***** ABOUT THE AUTHOR(ZT) *****

Jon Gordon is a consultant, keynote speaker, and the bestselling
author of "The Energy Bus," "The No Complaining Rule," "Training
Camp," and "The Shark and the Goldfish," all from Wiley. He and his
books have been featured on CNN and NBC's "Today" show and in
"Forbes," "O, The Oprah Magazine;" the "Wall Street Journal;" and
the "New York Times." He works with numerous Fortune 500 companies,
professional and college sports teams, hospitals, schools,
universities, and non-profits.

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• 英语书籍：Soup（1）节选 -纾珈- ♀ (154 bytes) () 05/24/2011 postreply 06:11:11

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