Working in the Kitchen at College

I went to a college where our tuition was subsidized by the denomination we were part of because the church wanted to invest in educating young people. My tuition was VERY low, so for my freshman year, my parents paid it, and I didn't have to work. I had fun that year. I was bitten by the credit card bug, which is regrettable, but the times I spent with my friends going out to eat at Oxford Street (I tried to find a picture, but couldn't - at some point, I need to write about the prank war we had at school. Oxford Street played a major role, as did shaving cream and Prince's Diamonds and Pearls CD) and the Butcher Shop in Longview, Texas (pictured here). The burgers were SO GOOD, and this is where I fell in love with chocolate cream pie (Interestingly enough, I bought a mini-chocolate cream pie from Wegman's on our way home from church today, and I'm crossing my fingers that it's as good as Butcher Shop pie).  To this day, I am so grateful for friends who had cars at school and would drive me around to fun places . . . including the time we miraculously fit 10 people in a car so we could go to Whataburger, but I digress . . . ).

Anyway, after my freshman year, my parents wanted me to develop more of a work ethic, so they had me participate in the work study program. When first participating in work study at my school, you were typically assigned to one of three departments - custodial, landscaping, or kitchen. Of the three, the kitchen was absolutely the best placement for me. I shudder to think what this Brooklyn girl may have done as part of the landscaping crew, and I have significant issues with public restrooms. Working in the kitchen was no joke!!! I think I worked 20 hours each week, and here are the different responsibilities:

1. Pot Sink - The thing I most remember is a hose with a powerful spray attachment hanging above me that I'd pull down to initially rinse the pots. Then we'd soap up the pots, sanitize them with this weird brown liquid we'd add to the water, and then the last step was rinsing again. I hated pot sink, and to this day, washing pots is my least favorite part of washing dishes.

2. Freezer - Sometimes, when we'd have to prepare ice cream for dessert, we'd have to put on one of the available parkas and scoop ice cream into bowls on trays that would stay in the freezer until dinner time. That assignment was cruel, but I met one of my best friends while on freezer duty (right, Shehana? Remember that time you stepped in the mop bucket? LOL!).

3.  Line - Here is where we'd serve the food to students. I remember having to wear this weird blue bandana, and saving food in takeout trays in the warming cabinets behind the line for my friends who didn't feel like coming down to the dining hall. I remember having access to Ocean Spray grape drink juice boxes. The cool thing about working the line was that I got to see almost everyone as they came through during meals. 

4. Salad bar, juice and milk replacement - This simply involved prepping veggies and keeping the salad bar stocked with veggies and salad dressing. We were also responsible for making sure there was orange juice, apple juice, milk, and fruit punch available in the machines for students to drink/milk to use for cereal.

5. Hobart - Students would put their dirty dishes on a belt when they were done eating, and when working the Hobart, we'd spray the dishes off with 180 degree water before loading them into the massive dishwasher. When I first worked the Hobart, I forgot which direction the hose sprayed from, and I sprayed myself in the face with the very hot water. Lesson learned . . . and working the Hobart was my second favorite assignment.

6. Bakery - My absolute favorite assignment. Mr. Schuler was our supervisor, and not only was he an amazingly talented baker, he was also the nicest supervisor in the kitchen (I remember Mr. Schuler making us monkey bread). It always smelled so good in the bakery, and we got to sample all the yummy goodness before everyone else.

One of the books I'm reading before heading off to the writing retreat is Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction by Benjamin Percy, and he writes about the importance of making sure characters have jobs. I want to be mindful of the different work experiences I can create for my characters. Working in the kitchen was very memorable for me.