Double Flee A

Long ago, I had a job at a hotel downtown. Some days I bartended, some days I did room service, but mostly I waited tables in the morning. Showing up at 5:30 A. M. and making very little was bad enough, but they made us watch videos and take "classes" to make sure they fulfilling OSHA's and other agencies' requirements. We had to sign forms after each thing we watched to help them not be sued for various reasons. For example, I had to take a test to see if I knew when it was time to cut off a customer who had too much to drink. I got a certificate for passing that test (whee!) that I immediately filed in the nearest wastebasket.
Once I had to watch a video, test not included on this one, thank christ, which taught the right way to take a shower. I couldn't believe it. Use soap. Rinse your body. Use a towel. Wear deodorant. Stick, roll-on, and spray are all acceptable. All the way through dressing for work. It was one of many low points in my foodservice career. (Another one was when one of my customers -- they made us call them 'guests' and instructed us to treat them like a guest in our own home -- changed her baby's diaper on a table at TGIFriday's. It was a baby boy. Ain't life sweet?) Many contingencies were not allowed for on this seemingly over-complete video, such as when you really need to blow your nose at work but don't have time to cross the kitchen and get a paper towel. Do what I did, and simply use a slice of bread. Wipe the crumbs from your face and Bob's your uncle.
I forgot all about this humbling experience until I ran across April Winchell's multimedia collection, the first part of which is an audio program made for new employees of Kentucky Fried Chicken. It really makes me appreciate what I've got. Sometimes a tear almost comes to my eye when I think about fast food workers. Many lifetimes pass each day between the walls of these establishments which people visit to eat food they probably don't really enjoy. The amount of man-hours it takes to run all the Taco Bells, McDonaldses, Burger Kings, Wendy'ses, Jack in the Boxes, KFCs, et cetera, astonishes and depresses me.

posted by dale @ 6:37 PM