Summary

The short story “Fat” by Raymond Carver opens with the narrator recounting an episode from her job as a waitress to her friend, Rita. One evening, an overweight man is seated at her station and she serves him a full meal, starting with Caesar salad, soup with extra bread and butter, lamb chops and baked potato with sour cream, and finally two desserts. As the narrator takes his orders and serves him, her co-workers make fun of the man for his weight.

The narrator and her overweight customer make small talk in between orders. The man has a big coat, in which he confesses to be very warm. The narrator advises him to take it off, but later she notices that he is still wearing the coat. The man apologizes for eating so much, saying that he is very hungry today, but he has not alwa...